Gunfire and heavy shelling continued in parts of the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Saturday
Post Date – 11:59 PM, Sat – 4/29/23
AFP photo
Khartoum: Gunfire and heavy artillery fire continued in parts of the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Saturday, with residents saying hundreds were killed in their power struggle despite an extension of a ceasefire between the country’s two top generals, Thousands fled.
The civilian death toll jumped to 411 on Saturday, according to the Sudanese Doctors Association, which monitors casualties.
The fighting has wounded another 2,023 civilians so far, the group added. Intensified violence in the provincial capital of the war-torn West Darfur state, Jenana, has left 89 people dead.
Fighters have moved into homes and seized shops and hospitals while fighting in the streets, the group said.
Khartoum, a city of about 5 million people, has been transformed into a Sudanese army commander, General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has shattered Sudan’s once-ecstatic transition to democracy. hope.
Foreign countries continued to evacuate diplomats and nationals, while thousands of Sudanese fled across the border to Chad and Egypt.
The United Nations says as many as 20,000 refugees – mostly women and children – have crossed the western border to Chad, a country that has struggled for stability following a coup two years ago.
Those fleeing fighting in Khartoum face further obstacles on the road to safety. The overland journey to Port Sudan, where ships would then evacuate through the Red Sea, proved long and dangerous.
Former journalist Hatim el-Madani said paramilitary fighters stopped refugees at roadblocks outside the capital, demanding that they hand over mobile phones and valuables.
“The RSF militia has an outlaw, bandit-like nature,” he said, referring to the Rapid Support Forces. “It shows that they don’t have supply lines in place and things could get worse in the coming days.” Airlifts from the country have also posed challenges, with a Turkish evacuation plane coming under fire outside Khartoum on Friday.
Residents say clashes continued on Saturday — and despite intense international pressure, when the ceasefire was extended for another 72 hours earlier Friday — around the presidential palace, the headquarters of the state broadcaster and a military base in Khartoum occur.
The fighting sent thick black smoke billowing from the city skyline.
In some areas around the capital, including Omdurman, residents reported that some shops were reopening as the fighting scaled back and both sides sought to abide by a fragile ceasefire.
But in other areas, residents who sheltered in their homes when the explosions rang out said militants ran from their houses, terrorizing people and stealing anything they could find.
Now in its third week, the fighting has left large swathes of Khartoum without power and water. Those sheltering at home said they were running out of food and basic supplies. On Saturday, residents of the Sien Tuman city, just outside of Khartoum, said they had waited three days for fuel – complicating their escape plans.
UN relief coordinator Martin Griffiths said the UN office in Khartoum and the Darfur cities of Genana and Nyala had been attacked and looted. “This is unacceptable – and prohibited by international law,” he said.
Over the past 15 days, the generals have failed to deliver a decisive blow to each other in their battle for control of Africa’s third-largest country.
The military appeared to have the upper hand in the fight because of its monopoly on air power, but could not confirm its claims of progress.
The Sudanese military said on social media on Saturday: “Soon, the Sudanese state with solid institutions will triumph and the attempt to hijack our country will be aborted forever.”
Many hospitals in Khartoum and across the country have been closed.
Few expect the conflict to end anytime soon.
“Both sides are digging deeper,” said former journalist el-Madani. “This war could go on for a long time.”
