At least 100 civilians have died and hundreds more have been injured as two factions of Sudan’s military government turned on each other today.
Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary force have engaged in fierce fighting in the capital and elsewhere in country. The military is led by the country’s top leader, while the paramilitary force is led by the country’s number two leader. Both participated in a coup that overthrew Sudan’s prior government in 2021.
After a day of heavy fighting, the military ruled out negotiations with the RSF, instead calling for the eradication of what it called a “rebellious militia.”
The sound of heavy gunfire could be heard across the capital, Khartoum, and the nearby city Omdurman, where the military and the RSF have stationed tens of thousands of troops since they overthrew Sudan’s prior government in a coup. The sounds carry far in Sudan’s capital, the hottest major city on Earth.
Witnesses said fighters from both sides fired from armored vehicles and machine guns mounted on pick-up trucks in densely populated areas. Some tanks were seen in Khartoum. The military said it launched attacks from planes and drones at RSF positions in and around the capital.
Residents described chaotic scenes. “Fire and explosions are everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman. “All are running and seeking shelter.”
“We haven’t seen such battles in Khartoum before,” said Khartoum resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.
One of the points of conflict was Khartoum International Airport. Major airlines canceled flights in and out of Sudan.
This included Sudan-bound flights from Egypt and Saudi Arabia which turned back after nearly landing at the airport.
Saudi Arabia’s national airline said one of its aircraft was involved in what it called “an accident”. Video showed the plane on fire on the tarmac. A plane from an African airline also caught fire.
At least ten people were killed at Khartoum airport, two dozen in Omdurman, 15 in the city of Nyala in poverty-stricken Darfur province (which has some of the world’s worst drinking water), 12 in the city of El Obeid and 10 in El Fasher.
Clashes for the control of various airports had intensified throughout the day, as well as at other key facilities said on observer: “Both sides are trying to control the airports because they will be major supply routes for whoever manages to control them.”
The leaders of the armed forces and the RSF, who were partners in the 2021 coup, traded blame for starting Saturday’s fighting and offered conflicting accounts of who was in control of key installations.
General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s top leader and the commander of Sudan’s military, told Al Jazeera in a phone interview that RSF troops first “harassed” the military south of Khartoum, triggering the clashes.
He said the RSF attacked his residence at the army headquarters around 9am local time.
Al-Burhan accused the RSF of entering Khartoum airport and setting airplanes on fire. He claimed all strategic facilities including the military’s headquarters and the Republican palace, the seat of Sudan’s presidency, are under his forces’ control. He threatened to send more troops to Khartoum from across the nation.
The head of the RSF, Sudan’s number two leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accused al-Burhan of starting the battle by surrounding RSF troops. “This criminal, he forced this battle upon us.” He claimed his troops would win in “the next few days. I cannot give a time limit to the fighting; however, we are adamant to end it with the least of losses.”
The RSF claimed its forces controlled strategic locations in the capital city of Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe, near Sudan’s most famous pyramids. The military dismissed the claims as “lies”.
