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Fierce fighting has resumed in Sudan’s capital Khartoum, but the second day of a deadly battle between rival military factions vying for control of the African country has forced an hour-long effort to respond to humanitarian needs. A pause was made.
Clashes between the Sudanese army and the militia’s Rapid Support Force (RSF) sparked international protests and regional concerns on Sunday, including border closures by neighboring countries Egypt and Chad.
The regional Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) said it would send the presidents of Kenya, South Sudan and Djibouti to Khartoum as soon as possible to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Sudan and reconcile the conflicting groups. rice field.
The violence that began on Saturday was the first such outbreak since rival forces joined forces to remove Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir in 2019, and the RSF as part of the transition to caused by disagreements over its integration into the military. Civil administration.
Witnesses said deafening explosions and heavy gunfire continued to rattle buildings in Khartoum’s populated northern and southern suburbs on Sunday as tanks thundered along the streets and fighter jets roared overhead. said.
As night fell, residents of the capital returned home for a second day, fearing that the long-running conflict could plunge the country into deeper turmoil and dash long-held hopes for a transition to a privately-led democracy. I hid myself.
“We are scared and have not slept 24 hours a day because of the noise and the shaking of the house. told Reuters.
“There is so much false information and everyone is lying. We don’t know when or how this will end,” she added.
The Central Committee of Doctors of Sudan, which promotes democratization, reported that 56 civilians were killed, “dozens killed” among security forces, and about 600 wounded.
humanitarian suspension
Late Sunday afternoon, the military said it had “agreed to the United Nations proposal to open safe passage for humanitarian incidents”, including evacuation of the wounded, ending at 17:00 GMT.
RSF confirmed the measures and both sides maintained the right to “respond in the event of a violation” from the other side.
Despite the pause, heavy gunfire could still be heard in central Khartoum, near the airport, and thick black smoke billowed from the surrounding area.
Al Jazeera’s Hiva Morgan, reporting from Khartoum on Sunday night, said the three-hour humanitarian ceasefire announced by the militants was over.
“The brief period of the cease-fire had already passed. We could see smoke rising from the south and north of the city,” Morgan said.
“The overall purpose of the three-hour ceasefire period was to allow those trapped around the presidential palace, around the military headquarters, and in the area to escape. near an RSF base facing airstrikes by fighter jets.”
The riots erupted after a weeks-long power struggle between Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Bahhan and his lieutenant, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedi, who leads the heavily armed RSF. Each accused the other of starting a fight.
The RSF claimed to have seized the presidential palace, Khartoum airport, and other strategic locations, but claimed the military remained in control.
Citing eyewitnesses, Reuters reported on Sunday that military airstrikes resumed at the RSF base in Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister city across the Nile, and the neighboring Kahuri and Shargu en Nile districts of Bari. reported.
Fighting also broke out in western Darfur and the eastern border province of Kassala, with witnesses in Hussein Saleh saying the army opened fire on RSF camps.
“Justice without delay”
The United Nations said three World Food Program (WFP) staff members were killed in clashes in North Darfur on Saturday and said it was “temporarily suspending all activities in Sudan”.
After their deaths, and the deaths of other civilians, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for “justice without delay.” He had previously warned that escalating fighting “would further exacerbate an already precarious humanitarian situation.”
The United Nations says one-third of Sudan’s population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
Pope Francis said he was following the event “with concern” despite calls from the region and around the world, including the United States, Britain, China, the European Union and Russia, to end the fighting. , prompted dialogue.
At a meeting of the eight-nation IGAD bloc, regional leaders called for “decisive action on the crisis in Sudan” and called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities between the warring parties.”
The Kenyan president’s office said the bloc would send Kenya’s William Ruto, South Sudan’s Salva Kiir and Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh to Sudan “as soon as possible to reconcile the conflicting groups.” It was determined.
The IGAD leader said, “Sudan’s stability is key to the social and economic stability of the region,” Root’s office said on Twitter. “Leaders also called on the two groups to provide safe passage for humanitarian aid in Khartoum and other affected towns.”
They added that the conflict has undermined the peace progress made over the past four months.
The leaders also called on the two groups to provide safe passage for humanitarian assistance in Khartoum and other affected towns. pic.twitter.com/HmzebMEUVu
— State House Kenya (@StateHouseKenya) April 16, 2023
The African Union also said senior officials would travel to Sudan “soon” on a ceasefire mission.
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