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Heavy gunfire amid military clash causes panic in capital of Sudan Heavy gunfire amid military clash causes panic in capital of Sudan
(about 2 hours later)
Paramilitary group reports seizing control of presidential palace, army chief’s home and Khartoum airportParamilitary group reports seizing control of presidential palace, army chief’s home and Khartoum airport
Heavy gunfire was heard in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, on Saturday as clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Heavy gunfire has been heard 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 said it had taken control of the presidential palace, the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport. The RSF claimed it had gained control of Khartoum international airport, Meroe airport, al-Obaid airport and the presidential palace, after an attack on its military base in south Khartoum’s sport city at about 9am on Saturday.
The conflict follows days of tension between the army and the powerful RSF, which raised concerns about a confrontation. Khartoum airport has shut down , withclips circulated on social media showing the RSF storming the airport.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Saturday the situation in Sudan was “fragile” but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete the transition to a civilian-led government. Eissa Zain, 37, told the Guardian that while asleep at home in Khartoum’s Daim “something very hard hit the wall and I thought the fan had fallen down 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, Khartoum City) and the Sudanese Armed Forces issued a statement saying that it was using the air force to “stop the un-responsible behaviour of the RSF”.
Heavy gunfire could be heard in parts of Darfur, in west Darfur State, el-Geniena and in North Darfur’s el-Fasher.
The USambassador to Sudan John Godfrey 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 .
“We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes,” the embassy said on Twitter. “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 the Merowe airport in the north, where an Egyptian military base has been on the airport, a couple of days ago, then the army surrounded them.
The dispute between the two forces began during power-sharing deal negotiations with the civilian forces to restore a western-backed civilian-led government. The army insisted the RSF should integrate into the army withintwo years while the RSF is suggesting it should be within 10 years and the RSF wants to do their command to the upcoming prime minister.
The USambassador to Sudan John Godfrey 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 Sudanese Professionals Association called on people to try to protect their neighbourhoods.
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 neighbourhoods?”
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, 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 Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.Speaking from Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.
A Reuters witness said they saw armoured vehicles deployed in streets, and heard the sound of heavy weaponry in the vicinity of the headquarters of the army and the RSF.
The source of the gunfire could not be immediately confirmed by Reuters. People could be seen running in panic through the capital.
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.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.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.
A confrontation between the two forces could bring prolonged strife across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence. Reuters contributed to this report