“Everyone is sheltered in place… a lot of ammunition is flying around.” A resident in Sudan’s capital tells EOA News they’ve been hearing gunfire and heavy artillery in the city since early Saturday morning as fighting between the country’s army and special forces known as Rapid Support Forces (RSF), continues into the next morning.
Khartoum International Airport is reportedly closed and both armed forces have claimed to be in control of the airport. Just before 1:00AM Sunday, a resident in the Imtidad Nasir neighborhood, east of the airport, sent a text saying they hear heavy shelling and he needs to go and “arrange my shelter.” Shelling could still be heard at 3:00AM.
Earlier, at least one airplane was involved in an incident that appears to be related to the fighting. In a statement Saudia Airlines says one of their airplanes was “exposed to gunfire damage” at Khartoum International Airport while preparing for departure. This happened Saturday around 9:30 in the morning local time while crew and guests were on board flight SV458, but the airlines says all have safely arrived at the Saudi Embassy in Sudan.
The Sudanese Central Medical Committee told CNN at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded. On their twitter page, the doctors group appealed “to all forces to open safe passages for the exit of dialysis patients” who were at a dialysis center near Army headquarters in the city. The group also called for the protection of children, students that were trapped at Comboni Schools, which is apparently near the Presidential Palace, another fighting zone that both sides have claimed control over. About 250 students between 13 and 16-years-old were trapped, according to a video posted on @sudan_tweet twitter page that claims to be of the students.
Sudan is run by a Sovereignty Council. The chairman is General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The deputy chairman is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo also known as Hemedti. One is head of the Sudanese Army, the other is head of the Rapid Support Forces. The chairman and deputy chairman of Sudan’s ruling council have their own armies and they’re currently at war in the country’s capital, a city of more than 10 million people. It’s been a frightening weekend for the residents in the city, some of whom went to bed still hearing heavy artillery.
Both sides claim the other started the conflict. The Sudanese Army says the RSF attacked several army camps in Khartoum and in other parts of Sudan. On the other hand, the RSF said in a statement, “The Rapid Support Forces were surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps in Soba in Khartoum and laying siege to paramilitaries there.”
Current tensions are apparently over the Commander-in-Chief al-Burhan’s efforts to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the Army. In a statement, the Army said, “There will be no negotiation or dialogue before dissolving and breaking up the rebellious Hemedti militia.” The Army also called on all government security personnel, including those under the RSF to report to the nearest army base or office.
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