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- Zeinab Mohammed Salih and Emmanuel Igunza
- BBC News, Khartoum, Nairobi
Sudan’s military and notorious militias are fighting with heavy weapons in the capital, Khartoum, as tensions mount over a proposed transition to civilian rule.
The paramilitary Emergency Support Force (RSF) said it had taken control of at least three airports, the residence of the chief of war and the presidential palace.
The Army denies this and says the Air Force is attacking militia bases.
People are trying to save themselves from fighting.
Witnesses said residents did not expect the clashes and many were caught in transit. Bridges and roads have been closed and many schools have been closed.
“The shooting is still going on and people are staying indoors. Panic and fear are spreading,” Ajok Monibiok told the BBC through his Kenya-based sister.
US Ambassador John Godfrey said, “I was awoken by the very unpleasant sounds of gunfire and fighting. I am evacuating,” he said. He urged senior military leaders to stop fighting.
The Russian embassy also called for a ceasefire, concerned about “escalating violence,” Reuters reports.
There have also been reports of clashes on state television.
The RSF had previously said one of its camps south of Khartoum had been attacked.
Meanwhile, the military says RSF fighters are trying to take over the army’s headquarters.
“Fighters from the Rapid Relief Force attacked several military camps around Khartoum and Sudan,” AFP news agency quoted military spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah.
“The clashes continue and the military is fulfilling its duty to protect the country.”
Reuters also cites witnesses who have described a shootout in the northern city of Merowe.The RSF deployed troops near its base on Thursday amid heightened tensions.
The generals have run the country through so-called sovereign councils since the October 2021 coup.
The RSF is under the command of the council’s deputy chairman, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the army is headed by its chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
However, the proposed transition to a civilian-led government fell through on the timeline for integrating the RSF into the military. The RSF wanted to delay it for ten years, but the military said he should do it within two years.
General Dagalo, also known as Hemedi, was a key figure in the Darfur conflict that began in 2003, killing hundreds of thousands.
Western and regional leaders urged both sides to ease tensions and return to talks aimed at restoring civil rule.
On Friday, there were signs that the situation would be resolved.
The 2021 coup ended a period of more than two years in which military and civilian leaders shared power. The deal came after the overthrow of Sudan’s longtime authoritarian president Omar al-Bashir.
Since the coup, Khartoum has regularly held pro-democracy protests.
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