Fighting in Sudan: What we know so far

[Edge Guerrero]

Fighting between the army and a paramilitary force rages for a second day as the international community calls for a ceasefire.

At least 56 civilians have been killed and 595 people, including combatants, have been wounded in fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the Sudanese Doctors Union says as the violence entered its second day in the capital, Khartoum.

Al Jazeera’s live television feed showed clouds of smoke billowing over Khartoum’s skyline on Sunday. Witnesses told Al Jazeera that fighter jets were visible in the skies over the city, seemingly targeting RSF locations in air raids. The Reuters news agency reported that heavy artillery was fired across the capital and surrounding areas and fighter.

What has happened so far?

“We can hear shots being fired. We can hear heavy artillery being fired,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reported from Khartoum after the fighting broke out on Saturday. “It’s not clear who is in control of the [Presidential] Palace, and there are battles over the state television.”


“Fighter jets were witnessed in several districts, seeming to target RSF locations using air strikes,” she said. “We can see plumes of smoke where those strikes have been carried out.”

Saturday saw fighting in the capital and other parts of the country as the army struck a base belonging to the RSF in the city of Omdurman, outside Khartoum, witnesses told Reuters.

The sound of heavy fire was audible across the capital with reports of fighters from both sides engaging their weapons from armoured vehicles and machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks in densely populated areas.

The RSF claimed to have seized the presidential palace, army chief’s residence, state television station and airports in Khartoum, the northern city of Merowe, El Fasher and West Darfur state. The army rejected those assertions.

The air force told people to stay indoors while it conducted what it called an aerial survey of RSF activity, and a holiday was declared in Khartoum state on Sunday, closing schools, banks and government offices.

Why is there fighting in Sudan?

The battles follow rising tensions over the proposed integration of the RSF into the military. The disagreement has delayed the signing of an internationally backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy.

A coalition of civilian groups that signed a draft of that agreement in December called on Saturday for an immediate halt to hostilities to stop Sudan from sliding towards “total collapse”.

The RSF was created in 2013 by then-President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted after months of pro-democracy protests in 2019. A transition government dominated by civilians was overthrown by the military in 2021 with the cooperation of the RSF.

Tensions between the military and RSF have escalated since then as the two groups have competed for legitimacy and control of the country.

In recent months, these tensions were exacerbated by a deterioration in relations between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of Sudan’s military, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the RSF.

The disagreement stemmed from disagreements about how the RSF should be integrated into the armed forces and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement with political groups.

Where is the fighting taking place?

Fighting has been reported across Khartoum with especially heavy clashes reported around the Presidential Palace, state television buildings and Khartoum International Airport.

Fighting has also been reported in Omdurman, northwest of Khartoum, and the city of Bahri, north of the capital.

There was also gunfire heard in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, where there had been no earlier reports of fighting.

Three employees of the World Food Programme were killed in a crossfire at a military base in Kabkabiya in western Sudan.

What has the international response been?

The international community has strongly condemned the violence.

The United States, China, Russia, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, United Nations, European Union and African Union have all called for an end to the hostilities.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the situation in Sudan was “fragile” but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete a transition to a civilian-led government.

[TWITTER]<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Fighting between SAF and RSF forces threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and undermines efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition. The only way forward is to return to negotiations.</p>&mdash; Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) <a href="https://twitter.com/SecBlinken/status/1647445733857976320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 16, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/TWITTER]

The US ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, wrote on Twitter on Sunday that he had taken shelter with his embassy staff.

“Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous,” Godfrey wrote. “I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting.”

China also expressed concern with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs urging both sides to pursue a ceasefire and prevent further escalation.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres condemned the outbreak of fighting and called for calm.

“The Secretary-General calls on the leaders of the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and initiate a dialogue to resolve the current crisis,” said Stephane Dujarric, Guterres’s spokesman.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/4/16/fighting-in-sudan-what-we-know-so-far

[Edge Guerrero]

-How i embed twitter?

[Megaterio Llamas]

-How i embed twitter?

User the twitter option here, then click on the tweet you want to embed, then after selecting the tweet copy and paste the address at the top of the page.

[Edge Guerrero]

-How i embed twitter?

User the twitter option here, then click on the tweet you want to embed, then after selecting the tweet copy and paste the address at the top of the page.

- I'm not that tech savy



Sudan conflict: why is there fighting and what is at stake in the region?
Power struggle between military factions erupted after faltering transition to civilian-led government

Clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s main paramilitary force have left at least 56 dead, while control of the presidential palace and the international airport in Khartoum is in doubt after disputed claims from both sides, in fighting that threatens to destabilise Sudan and the wider region.

What’s behind the fighting?

The clashes erupted amid an apparent power struggle between the two main factions of Sudan’s military regime.

The Sudanese armed forces are broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s de facto ruler, while the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militia, follow the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

The power struggle has its roots in the years before a 2019 uprising that ousted the dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir, who built up formidable security forces that he deliberately set against one another.

When an effort to transition to a democratic civilian-led government faltered after Bashir’s fall, an eventual showdown appeared inevitable, with diplomats in Khartoum warning in early 2022 that they feared such an outbreak of violence. In recent weeks, tensions have risen further.

How did the military rivalries develop?

The RSF was founded by Bashir to crush a rebellion in Darfur that began more than 20 years ago due to the political and economic marginalisation of the local people by Sudan’s central government. The RSF were also known by the name of Janjaweed, which became associated with widespread atrocities.

In 2013, Bashir transformed the Janjaweed into a semi-organised paramilitary force and gave their leaders military ranks before deploying them to crush a rebellion in South Darfur and then dispatching many to fight in the war in Yemen, and later Libya.

The RSF, led by Hemedti, and the regular military forces under Burhan cooperated to oust Bashir in 2019. The RSF then dispersed a peaceful sit-in that was held in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing hundreds of people and raping dozens more.

A power-sharing deal with the civilians who led the protests against Bashir, which was supposed to bring about a transition towards a democratic government, was interrupted by a coup in October 2021.

The coup put the army back in charge but it faced weekly protests, renewed isolation and deepening economic woes. Hemedti swung behind the plan for a new transition, bringing tensions with Burhan to the surface.

Hemedti has huge wealth derived from the export of gold from illegal mines, and commands tens of thousands of battle-hardened veterans. He has long chafed at his position as official deputy on Sudan’s ruling council.

What are the faultlines?

A central cause of tension since the uprising is the civilian demand for oversight of the military and integration of the RSF into the regular armed forces.

Civilians have also called for the handover of lucrative military holdings in agriculture, trade and other industries, a crucial source of power for an army that has often outsourced military action to regional militias.

Another point of contention is the pursuit of justice over allegations of war crimes by the military and its allies in the conflict in Darfur from 2003. The international criminal court is seeking trials for Bashir and other Sudanese suspects.

Justice is also being sought over the killings of pro-democracy protesters in June 2019, in which military forces are implicated. Activists and civilian groups have been angered by delays to an official investigation. In addition, they want justice for at least 125 people killed by security forces in protests since the 2021 coup.

What’s at stake in the region?

Sudan is in a volatile region bordering the Red Sea, the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa. Its strategic location and agricultural wealth have attracted regional power plays, complicating the chances of a successful transition to civilian-led government.

Several of Sudan’s neighbours – including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan – have been affected by political upheavals and conflict, and Sudan’s relationship with Ethiopia, in particular, has been strained over issues including disputed farmland along their border.

Major geopolitical dimensions are also at play, with Russia, the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other powers battling for influence in Sudan.

The Saudis and the UAE have seen Sudan’s transition as an opportunity to push back against Islamist influence in the region. They, along with the US and Britain, form the “Quad”, which has sponsored mediation in Sudan along with the UN and the African Union. Western powers fear the potential for a Russian base on the Red Sea, which Sudanese military leaders have expressed openness to.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/16/sudan-conflict-why-is-there-fighting-and-what-is-at-stake-in-the-region

- I'm glad for Masato toys and Sherdog. That i can go and talk with people.
Tryed to start a conversation with a old time friend, because of our actual politics, how Lula is worst than bolsonaro, even tought that Bolsonaro is awfull. She blocked me. LIke almost 20 years of knowing me, and blocked because of a strange dude. The biggest thing i admire is the ability of debating.That why i admired Obama, and my presidentialMan-crush Temer.

[Megaterio Llamas]

I haven't been following this crisis situation in Sudan, but at first glance it appears to be another US backed coup:

Go Russia!

Go Sudan!

Viva Africa!

[Megaterio Llamas]

Looks like the regime change operation has failed.

It turns out this was about Russia building a strategically important naval base in Sudan.

Sudan military finishes review of Russian Red Sea base deal

https://apnews.com/article/politics-sud ... 1067c118dd

CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s ruling military concluded a review of an agreement with Russia to build a navy base on the Red Sea in the African country, two Sudanese officials said Saturday.

They said the deal was awaiting the formation of a civilian government and a legislative body to be ratified before it takes effect. The officials said Moscow met Sudan’s most recent demands, including providing more weapons and equipment.

“They cleared all our concerns. The deal has become OK from the military side,” one official said.

The officials did not provide further details and spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. A spokesman for the Sudanese military declined to comment.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said Thursday the deal still needs ratification by Sudan’s yet-to-be-formed legislative body.

Sudan has been without a parliament since a popular uprising forced the military overthrow of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The country has been mired in political chaos since an October 2021 military coup derailed its short-lived transition to democracy.

The deal, which surfaced in December 2021, is part of Moscow’s efforts to restore a regular naval presence in various parts of the globe. It was reached during al-Bashir’s reign.

The agreement allows Russia to set up a naval base with up to 300 Russian troops, and to simultaneously keep up to four navy ships, including nuclear-powered ones, in the strategic Port Sudan on the Red Sea.

The base would ensure the Russian navy’s presence in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean and spare its ships the need for long voyages to reach the area, according to Viktor Bondarev, the former Russian air force chief.

In exchange, Russia is to provide Sudan with weapons and military equipment. The agreement is to last for 25 years, with automatic extensions for 10-year periods if neither side objects.

In June 2021, Sudan’s Chief of General Staff, Gen. Mohammed Othman al-Hussein, told a local television station that Khartoum would review the agreement.

In February last year Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, held talks with senior Russian officials in Moscow.

Upon his return from the weeklong trip, Dagalo said his country didn’t have objections to Russia or any other country establishing a base on its territory as it poses no threat to Sudan’s national security.

“If any country wants to open a base and it is in our interests and doesn’t threaten our national security, we have no problem in dealing with anyone, Russian or otherwise,” he said.

[Edge Guerrero]

Foreign states begin Sudan evacuations as fighting rages

The United States said it had evacuated its embassy staff from Sudan, but planned evacuations by some other countries appeared to face problems on Sunday amid battles between rival military factions that have triggered a humanitarian crisis.

Sudan’s warring army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group accused each other of attacking a convoy of French nationals, both saying one French person was wounded. France’s Foreign Ministry, which had earlier said it was evacuating diplomatic staff and citizens, did not comment on the reports.

The army also accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari convoy heading to Port Sudan. Doha released no immediate statement on any incident.

Egypt said a member of its mission in Sudan had been wounded by a gunshot, without giving details.

President Joe Biden said the U.S. was temporarily suspending operations at its embassy in Khartoum but remained committed to the Sudanese people, reiterating calls for a ceasefire that have so far gone largely unheeded.

“The belligerent parties must implement an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and respect the will of the people of Sudan,” Biden said in a statement.

Live TV feeds showed thick smoke still hanging over the capital, Khartoum, and its sister cities of Bahri and Ombdurman, as gunfire continued to ring out in some areas, a Reuters reporter said.

The fighting erupted in Khartoum and other parts of the country on April 15, four years after long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir was toppled during a popular uprising, and has killed more than 400 people.

It pits Sudan’s army against the RSF, who jointly staged a coup in 2021 but fell out during negotiations over a plan to form a civilian government and integrate the RSF into the armed forces.

The army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF, headed by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have failed to observe ceasefires agreed almost daily, including a three-day truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which began on Friday.

Intense fighting has continued around the army’s headquarters in central Khartoum and the airport, which has been closed by the clashes, and over the past two days in Bahri, where the army has used troops on the ground as well as air strikes to try to push back the RSF.

The RSF said on Sunday that its forces were targeted by air strikes in Bahri’s Kafouri district and that dozens were “killed and injured”.

“We strongly condemn this treacherous behaviour, which is inconsistent with the declared commitment to the 72-hour truce,” the RSF said in a statement.


CHINOOKS

Sudan’s sudden collapse into warfare has dashed plans to restore civilian rule, brought an already impoverished country to the brink of humanitarian disaster and threatened a wider conflict that could draw in outside powers.

Any let-up in fighting could accelerate a desperate rush to flee by many Khartoum residents, after days trapped in homes or districts under bombardment and with fighters roaming the streets.

Diplomats and foreign nationals have also struggled to find a way out.

U.S. officials said special forces using aircraft including MH-47 Chinook helicopters swept into Sudan’s battle-stricken capital on Saturday from a U.S. base in Djibouti, spending just one hour on the ground to bring out fewer than 100 people.

“We did not take any small-arms fire on the way in and were able to get in and out without issue,” said Lieutenant General Douglas Sims, the director of operations at the military’s Joint Staff.

Chris Maier, an assistant secretary of defense, said the U.S. military might use drone or satellite imagery to detect threats to Americans travelling on overland routes out of Sudan, or position naval assets at the Port of Sudan to aid Americans arriving there.

Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass said some Americans and other nationals had successfully travelled by land from Khartoum to Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which he said appeared to be a challenging journey given the lack of fuel, food and predictably available water.

Saudi Arabia has already evacuated Gulf citizens from Port Sudan on the Red Sea, 650 km (400 miles) from Khartoum. Jordan will use the same route for its nationals.

Egypt, which has more than 10,000 citizens in Sudan, urged its nationals outside Khartoum to head to its consulate in Port Sudan, and to a consular office in Wadi Halfa on the border with Egypt, in preparation for their evacuation. It encouraged those in Khartoum to shelter in place and wait for the situation to improve.

Beyond Khartoum, reports of the worst violence have come from Darfur, a western region bordering Chad that suffered a conflict that escalated from 2003 leaving 300,000 people dead and 2.7 million displaced.

[url]https://www.timesofearth.com/world-news/foreign-states-begin-sudan-evacuations-as-fighting-rages.html
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