Fierce fighting rages around Sudan capital

Parts of Khartoum, Omdurman, Bahri, and Sharg El Nil saw fighting, aerial bombardment, and exchanges of artillery shelling between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) yesterday. The RSF has reportedly begun repairing the mobile section of the Jebel Aulia bridge so that it can use it to cross into Omdurman.

Callers told Radio Dabanga that the SAF shelled several sites in the vicinity of the armoured corps and in Jabra and El Sahafa in southern Khartoum with heavy artillery. In the centre of the capital, air strikes hit a number of targets as clouds of smoke rose.

There were renewed clashes since early morning in the vicinity of the General Command of the SAF, with warplanes flying overhead, and anti-aircraft fire in response. A house was completely destroyed in the Nasser extension, without loss of life.

In Bahri, a civilian was killed by artillery shelling on the Shambat area on Thursday morning.

Sources on the ground told Radio Dabanga that the SAF and RSF exchanged artillery shelling in several areas in the city of Omdurman with sporadic clashes in the vicinity of the Corps of Engineers, Old Omdurman, and West Omdurman, in the vicinity of El Hilal Stadium and El Ardah Street.

Resistance committees accuse the RSF of besieging neighbourhoods, leading to shortages of food and medicine, as well as power and water cuts. They demanded the opening of safe corridors.

The RSF still control the Khartoum neighbourhoods of Jabra South and large parts of Jabra North. Callers say that homes and shops are being looted using tuk-tuks. The main street in Jabra, usually bustling with trade, is deserted as all the shops have been ransacked, they say.