Violence erupted between Sudan’s main paramilitary group and the armed forces yesterday in an apparent struggle for control against the backdrop of the country’s halting moves toward elections after a military coup.
Amid conflicting reports from the two sides, the army rejected assertions by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that they had seized the presidential palace, army chief’s residence and airports in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe.
Doctors confirmed three deaths but said many more civilians had been killed and wounded in the clashes that shook residential neighbourhoods of the capital. Fighting was also taking place at the headquarters of Sudan’s state TV, according to an on-air anchor.
The army said the Sudanese air force was conducting operations against the RSF. Footage from broadcasters showed military jets flying low over Khartoum, but Reuters could not independently confirm the material.
Gunfire and explosions could be heard across the capital, where TV footage showed smoke rising from several districts. Eyewitnesses reported shooting in adjoining cities.
A Reuters journalist saw cannon and armoured vehicles deployed on the capital’s streets and heard heavy weapons fire near the headquarters of both the army and RSF.
Army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan told Al Jazeera TV that the RSF should back down: “We think if they are wise they will turn back their troops that came into Khartoum.
But if it continues we will have to deploy troops into Khartoum from other areas.”
The armed forces said on Facebook it would not negotiate with the RSF unless the paramilitary force dissolved.
The RSF leader, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, called Burhan a “criminal” and a “liar”.
The military and RSF have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government.
“We know where you are hiding and we will get to you and hand you over to justice, or you die just like any other dog,” he said in an interview with the station.
The RSF, which analysts say is 100,000 strong, said its forces were attacked first by the army, which surrounded one of its bases and opened fire with heavy weapons. The army said it was fighting the RSF at sites the paramilitaries claimed to have taken.
A prolonged confrontation between the RSF and the army could plunge Sudan into widespread conflict as it struggles with economic breakdown and tribal violence, and could also derail efforts to move towards elections. (Reuters)
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