Renewed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in Omdurman

Renewed clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in Omdurman

    Wednesday, April 19, 2023   No comments

Today, Wednesday, clashes renewed between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, despite the declared 24-hour truce, and fighting intensified between the two forces loyal to the two rival military leaders, after the truce quickly collapsed.

Continuous gunfire, artillery and air strikes rocked the capital, Khartoum, and the city of Omdurman, across the Nile.

Residents reported clashes around the army headquarters, and near the international airport.

The Sudanese army accused the RSF of not adhering to the implementation of the armistice agreement, which was concluded with international mediation for humanitarian purposes, which led to the continuation of the fighting for the fifth day in a row.

The spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces, Brigadier General Nabil Abdullah Ali Musa, also accused the Rapid Support Forces of "violating citizens, looting their property, and burning a sea market in the Khartoum Bahri neighborhood."

In parallel, the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces announced, in a statement today, that "the Egyptian nationals who were at Meroe Airport during the clashes have been transferred to the capital, Khartoum."

The forces said in the statement that "Egyptian nationals will be handed over when the appropriate opportunity arises, according to the conditions the country is going through."

It also announced its agreement to a truce for a period of 24 hours, starting at 6 pm today, Wednesday, and continuing until 6 pm tomorrow, Thursday,” according to the statement.

The Rapid Support Forces affirmed its "full commitment to a complete ceasefire," hoping that "the other side will abide by that."

Updates on the clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces

Updates on the clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces

    Saturday, April 15, 2023   No comments

The Sudanese army announced today, Saturday, that the Air Force is carrying out qualitative operations to "resolve the irresponsible behavior of the rebel Rapid Support militia."

This comes after clashes broke out between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in separate areas of Khartoum, the vicinity of the Marawi airport base, and Nile Street, earlier today.

The official spokesman for the Sudanese Armed Forces said that the forces "did not start the aggression, and what happened is that our forces were attacked by the rebel forces."

He added, "The army personnel do not seek any personal gain," stressing that they "will continue their work with efficiency, professionalism, and patriotism."

He continued, "We will confront any irresponsible attempt, and we regret that our country has reached this stage because of the personal ambitions of the rebel leadership," stressing that there is no future for the country "except under one army under a disciplined military command."

The armed forces indicated that Sudan "would not have reached this stage had the rebel forces of Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) abandoned their personal ambitions."

Concurrently, former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok sent messages to the Sudanese army, the Rapid Support Forces, the people of the country, and the international community, in which he called for an immediate cease-fire and the rejection of the fighting, warning against expanding the scope of the conflict into a regional war.

Hamdok said in a video speech broadcast on Twitter: "My first message is to the President of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, to the leaders of the Sudanese army, and to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo. The bullets must stop immediately, and the voice of reason must prevail, as the loss will be." It belongs to all, and there is no victor over the corpses of his people."

He added, "My second message to the Sudanese people is that they become more cohesive, that there is cohesion between the components of society, and the discourse of rejecting war is prevalent, and that the voice of fueling war is not allowed to dominate."

Hamdok continued: "My third message to the regional and international community and lovers of global peace is to do their duty to resolve and calm the warring parties. War in Sudan means war in the region, and a peaceful solution is still possible."

Meanwhile, the Rapid Support Forces announced the control of military sites in El Fasher, in the west of the country, including the Signal Corps, the Medical Corps, and the airport.

Al-Mayadeen correspondent reported that the Rapid Support Forces arrested a number of Egyptian forces inside the Marawi base.

Likewise, the Rapid Support Forces announced their control of the command of the 1st Infantry Brigade, noting that they had "closed all the ports south of Khartoum."

The Rapid Support Forces had announced their control of the Republican Palace, the guest house, Khartoum airports, Meroe, Al-Obeid, and sites in the Sudanese states.

The Sudanese Medical Association reported that 3 civilians were killed in the battles in Sudan, including two in Khartoum.

And Saudi Airlines stated that one of its planes was exposed to gunfire at Khartoum Airport while it was preparing for the return flight, with the crew and passengers on board.

Clashes are taking place now between the two parties around the state-affiliated media building with the aim of controlling it, while television transmission was cut off after it remained weak for some time.

The United Nations, the Arab League, Washington and Moscow demanded an "immediate" halt to the fighting in Sudan. As for the powerful neighbor, Egypt, it called on both sides to "exercise the greatest degree of restraint."

In the context, a member of the Political Bureau of the Sudanese National Umma Party, Muhammad Markaz Khareef, expected the continuation of the clashes because "the conflict has reached the stage of breaking the bone."

In their statements, the Rapid Support Forces and the army exchanged accusations of attacking each other's bases.

The Sudanese army accused the armed Rapid Support Forces of attacking many of its bases in Khartoum and other areas, shortly after those forces announced the army's attack on its camps.

Sudanese websites quoted the Sudanese army spokesman as saying, "The situation is calm at the headquarters of the General Command, and the fighting is taking place around some strategic facilities."

The sources added, "Khartoum is now besieged from all sides, which means that food supplies will be difficult for the population to enter."

A few days ago, the Sudanese army warned of the deployment of the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and some cities, pointing out that these movements took place without the approval of the Armed Forces Command and without any coordination with it.

In contrast, the RSF, which operates under the command of Hemedti, the vice president of the military council, has confirmed that it is deployed throughout the country as part of its normal duties.

The Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change in Sudan announced the postponement of the signing of the final political agreement between the Sudanese parties, known as the "framework agreement", which was scheduled for April 6, until the end of the talks between the military technical committees to formulate final recommendations regarding security and military reforms.

The current political process in Sudan aims to resolve a prolonged crisis since October 25, 2021, when the army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, imposed exceptional measures, including dissolving the two sovereign councils and declaring a state of emergency.