At least 27 people were killed and more than 200 others were wounded in fighting Saturday between Sudan’s army and a powerful paramilitary force, a doctors’ group said, serving a new blow to hopes of a transition to democracy and raising fears of a wider conflict.
The violence comes after months of escalating tensions between the armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group. Those tensions had delayed a deal with political parties to get the country back to its short-lived transition to democracy, which had been derailed by an October 2021 military coup.
As fighting continued into Saturday night, the military ruled out negotiations with the RSF, instead calling for the dismantling of what it called a “rebellious militia.” The tough language signalled that the conflict between the former allies, who jointly orchestrated the 2021 coup, was likely to continue.
The sound of heavy firing could be heard throughout the day Saturday across Khartoum, the capital, and its sister city Omdurman, where both the military and the RSF have amassed tens of thousands of troops since the coup.
In a Facebook statement late Saturday, Sudan’s air force called on citizens to stay indoors as they conduct a full aerial survey of areas of RSF activity.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate did not immediately release details of where the 26 deaths it reported had occurred, but it reported that at least six of them were in the capital Khartoum and Omdurman. At least eight of the dead and 58 wounded where in the vicinity of Nyala, the capital city of the South Darfur province in the country’s southwest.
‘Fire and explosions are everywhere’
Witnesses said fighters from both sides fired from armoured vehicles and from machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks in fighting in densely populated areas. Some tanks were seen in Khartoum.
The military said in a statement late Saturday that its troops had seized all RSF bases in Omdurman, while residents reported heavy air strikes on paramilitary positions in and around the capital continued into the night. Sounds of gunfire and explosions were still heard in several parts of Khartoum, they said.
Residents described chaotic scenes.
“Fire and explosions are everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman. “All are running and seeking shelter.”
“We haven’t seen such battles in Khartoum before,” said Abdel-Hamid Mustafa, a resident of the capital.
Commercial flights turn back from Sudan
One of the flashpoints was Khartoum International Airport. There was no formal announcement that the airport was closed, but major airlines suspended their flights. This included Sudan-bound flights from Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which turned back after nearly landing at the airport, flight tracking data showed Saturday.
Saudi Arabia’s national airline said one of its Airbus A330 aircraft was involved in “an accident.” Video showed the plane on fire on the tarmac.
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate said two civilians were killed at the airport, without specifying the circumstances. The committee said in a statement that another man was shot to death in the state of North Kordofan.
The BBC said one of its reporters was stopped by soldiers, taken to the military headquarters and beaten.
The leaders of the armed forces and the RSF, who were partners in the 2021 coup, traded blame for starting Saturday’s fighting and offered conflicting accounts of who was in control of key installations.
Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, commander of Sudan’s military, said in a phone interview with Qatar-based satellite news network Al Jazeera that RSF troops first “harassed” the military south of Khartoum, triggering the clashes.
Burhan accused the RSF of entering Khartoum airport and setting fire to some planes. He also said all strategic facilities including the military’s headquarters and the Republican palace, the seat of Sudan’s presidency, are under his forces’ control. He threatened to deploy more troops to Khartoum from across the county.
The head of the RSF, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, accused Burhan of starting the battle by surrounding RSF troops.
“This criminal, he forced this battle upon us,” he said.
Dagalo told Al Jazeera that in “the next few days” it would be over.
Calls for ceasefire
The RSF alleged in a statement that its forces controlled many strategic places in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe, some 350 kilometres northwest of Khartoum. The military dismissed the claims as “lies.”
The fighting comes after months of escalating tensions between the generals and years of political unrest after the 2021 coup.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other top diplomats expressed extreme concern over the outbreak of violence. “We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and continue talks to resolve outstanding issues,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.
Deeply concerned about reports of escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. We are in touch with the Embassy team in Khartoum – all are currently accounted for. We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations…
—@SecBlinken
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres; the European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell; the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; the Arab League chief, Ahmed Aboul Gheit; and Qatar all called for a ceasefire and for both parties to return to negotiations to settle their dispute.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called on those fighting in Sudan to exercise restraint and work toward a political solution in the country.
Former Sudanese prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, who was ousted in the 2021 coup, warned of a possible regional conflict if the fighting escalates. “Shooting must stop immediately,” he said in a video message to both sides posted on his Twitter account.
Volker Perthes, the UN envoy for Sudan, and the Saudi ambassador in Sudan, Ali Bin Hassan Jaffar, were in contact with RSF chief Dagalo and al-Burhan, the country’s top military official, to try to end the violence, said a UN official who asked for anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
Meanwhile, Chad announced that it is closing its land borders with Sudan until further notice because of the fighting.
Long-simmering tensions
The tensions stem from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement with political groups.
The U.S. ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, wrote online that he was “currently sheltering in place with the Embassy team, as Sudanese throughout Khartoum and elsewhere are doing.” He urged both sides to cease fire.
“Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous,” Godfrey wrote. “I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting.”
