♦ Sudan: This week’s news in brief ♦
A tank on the streets of Khartoum (social media)
DABANGASUDAN – April 21, 2023
A compact digest of the past week’s most-read highlights, from the heart of Sudan. Subscribe to receive this digest weekly in your inbox.
Death toll climbs as Army-militia clashes spread across Sudan
KHARTOUM / OMDURMAN / ZALINGEI / KABKABIYA / EL GENEINA / EL OBEID – April 16, 2023. The Fierce clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) commanded by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) headed by Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo have already claimed at least 56 civilian and dozens of military lives, with hundreds more reported injured, one day after they erupted in Sudanese capital Khartoum.
The violence broke out after longstanding tensions between the forces loyal to Sudan’s two most powerful generals quickly escalated and spread to other parts of the country. Army and paramilitary troops battled over key points in and around Khartoum, including the airports, Presidential Palace, and TV broadcast centre, while terrified civilians ran for cover. As the violence continued overnight, conflicting statements and claims by both factions are difficult to verify.
Sudan analyst says SAF chance of victory is higher, but fears return of former regime
KHARTOUM – April 18, 2023. In an interview with Radio Dabanga yesterday, journalist and political analyst El Jamil El Fadil said that the chances of victory in the ongoing clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are stronger for the SAF than the RSF, but warned of the disastrous consequences of an army victory.
El Fadil explained that a victory of the SAF would allow the Islamist movement to return to power, creating a situation even more difficult than it was before April 11, 2019, when the Islamist regime of dictator Omar Al Bashir was ousted after 30 years in power. The high ranks of the army largely consist of a loyal clan of Islamist Al Bashir supporters, the Kizan. A common knowledge that RSF Commander Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo has used to frame himself as a fighter for democracy against dictatorial Islamists.
Fighting continues in Sudan capital, UN warns for collapse of health system
KHARTOUM / NEW YORK – April 21, 2023. Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continued in central Khartoum and in a number of neighbourhoods in Omdurman yesterday and in the early morning. UN agencies warn of a collapse of the health system in the country. Sudanese women in the country and abroad demand an immediate end to the war.
RSF announces three-day ceasefire in Sudan
KHARTOUM – April 21, 2023. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced that it has agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire to coincide with the blessed Eid El Fitr. Shooting, however, continued this morning, people in the Sudanese capital reported.
Int’l call for Sudan parties to honour ceasefire as 300+ dead
KHARTOUM / OMDURMAN – April 20, 2023. Sudan’s most recent attempt at a ceasefire has failed yet again, with reports of the humanitarian truce between the warring factions being violated within the first few hours as heavy artillery fire reverberated across the capital. The death toll now surpasses 300, according to the World Health Organisation’s estimate, and at least 174 civilian deaths and 1041 injuries were reported by activist medics on April 19.
EL OBEID – April 18, 2023. Fierce fighting between Sudanese army forces and paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, has left at least 56 people dead, mostly civilians. Thousands of people were forced to leave their homes.
Shelling and shortages leave at least 18 Sudanese hospitals closed and injured stranded
KHARTOUM – April 18, 2023. At least 18 hospitals in Sudan, including 13 in Khartoum state and five outside the capital, had to close their doors because of the fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces militia. 15 more hospitals are threatened with closure because of a lack of staff, fuel, and medical supplies and significant safety concerns, leaving many Sudanese unable to access medical care.
Sudan’s Gen El Burhan dissolves Hemedti’s RSF militia as ‘rebel force’
KHARTOUM – April 18, 2023. The de facto leader of Sudan, Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, has officially dissolved the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), under the command of Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, declaring the militia a ‘rebel force’. The decree follows fierce clashes between the RSF and Sudan Armed Forces that began in Khartoum on May 15 and have since spread across Sudan, leaving at least 185 dead and 1,800 injured.
Hemedti manoeuvres to brand war against Sudan army as fight against former regime Islamists
KHARTOUM – April 17, 2023. As the fight between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues, notorious RSF Commander Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo aims to frame SAF Commander Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan as an anti-democratic radical Islamist whilst framing himself as a proponent of a democratic Sudan, sparking accusations of hypocrisy.
Deadly violence in Sudan capital as Army and RSF militia tensions explode
KHARTOUM / MEROWE – April 15, 2023. Reports of deaths, as well as rocket and gunfire have been confirmed throughout Sudan’s capital of Khartoum this morning. The escalating violence follows the now erupted tensions between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) commanded by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) headed by Lt Gen Mohamed ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo.
At least 25 dead, thousands displaced following West Darfur violence
FORO BARANGA / KHARTOUM – April 14, 2023. 25 people are confirmed dead following Monday’s and Tuesday’s attacks on Foro Baranga, West Darfur. Up to 4.000 families were displaced by the violence. An emergency meeting was held in Khartoum on Wednesday to discuss the situation.
Tensions rise between Sudan army and RSF militia
KHARTOUM – April 13, 2023. The simmering tensions between Sudanese army and its paramilitary counterpart, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) surfaced early this morning when the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) issued a statement denouncing the increased deployment of RSF troops in Khartoum and northern Sudan.
and then