Heavy gunfire clashes has been erupt in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, as clashes erupt between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following days of tensions between the two forces.
The RSF claimed it had gained control of Khartoum international airport, Merowe Airport, al-Obeid Airport, and the presidential palace, after an attack on its military base in south Khartoum at about 9 am on Saturday.
Khartoum airport has shut down, with clips spread on social media showing the RSF storming the airport.
Eissa Zain, 37, told the Guardian that while asleep at home in Khartoum’s Daim neighborhood something very hard hit the wall and I thought the fan had fallen but it turned out to be an RBG [weapon]. We ran out of the house and the streets were full of people, but then everyone went inside their houses.
The Sudan air force has been flying over Khartoum peninsular (Omdurman, Khartoum North, and Khartoum City) and the Sudanese Armed Forces issued a statement saying that it was using the air force to stop the un-responsible behavior of the RSF.
Heavy gunfire could be heard in parts of Darfur, in West Darfur State, Geneina, and in North Darfur’sEl Fasher.
John Godfrey, the US ambassador to Sudan, said he and embassy staff had been forced to take shelter. He said the escalation of tensions to direct fighting was “extremely dangerous” and called urgently on the senior leadership to stop the clashes.
The UK’s embassy in Sudan urged its nationals there to remain indoors. The embassy said on Twitter: “We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes. We advise all British nationals in Sudan to remain indoors and follow our travel advice for more updates.”
The tension began when the RSF sent troops with more than 200 vehicles to surround Merowe airport in the north, where an Egyptian military base is located.
The dispute between the two forces began during power-sharing negotiations with the civilian forces to restore a Western-backed civilian-led government. The army insisted the RSF should integrate into the army within two years, while the RSF is suggesting it should be within 10 years.
The Sudanese Professionals Association called on people to try to protect their neighborhoods.
Osman Ali, a resident of Omdurman who works as a market vendor, said: “We feel extremely unsafe now. The leaders are fighting there but the problem is, who is going to protect us from looting or if any armed people stormed into the neighborhoods?”
Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, said the situation in Sudan was “fragile” but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete the transition to a civilian-led government.
Speaking from the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.
The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by the RSF had been made without coordination and were illegal.
A statement by the RSF on Saturday called the army’s actions a “brute assault” and called for it to be condemned. It said the RSF had been in contact with local and international mediators to inform them.
