Deadly violence in Sudan capital as army and RSF militia tensions explode

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 ‘Hemeti’ Dagalo.

A video currently circulating on social media shows a man at Khartoum International Airport frantically stating that two people died as a result of shelling. People in Khartoum have already shared images of the shelling destroying homes. Footage is also being shared widely of Sudanese fighter jets and combat helicopters deployed in the skies above the Sudan capital. Several foreign embassies have cautioned their citizens to stay indoors.

The violence is reportedly spreading, within and beyond the capital. The town of Merowe in Northern State, 200 kilometres north of Khartoum, has also witnessed gunfire, with reports of plumes of smoke rising from the military camp there, according to Al Arabiya TV. Radio Dabanga earlier reported the large number of RSF paramilitaries being deployed in Merowe over the past few days.

According to RSF claims, their forces have taken control of the Khartoum International Airport and the Republican Palace. In a subsequent statement, the RSF claims that it was able to take control of the Merowe airport and base, and expelled those it described as ‘aggressors’ from the armed forces base in Soba in Khartoum. Other reports suggest that RSF cadres have cordoned off the Sudanese Broadcasting Corporation building in Omdurman, and unverified reports say that broadcasting facilities have been shelled.

The SAF denies or downplays these claims, and competing reports from both warring camps, as well as social media posts depicting events, have not been able to be verified at this stage. In a press statement today, the General Command of the SAF claim that their forces are “pushing RSF forces from its bases spread throughout the capital”.

Pointing to the strategic sites including the Republican Palace, the General Command, and the office of the Chairman of the Sovereignty Council currently being contested, the SAF asserts: “Their sinful endeavours will be disappointed and broken in the face of the determination, will, and courage of our men of the armed forces.”

This is a developing story…