Violent clashes renew in Sudan’s capital after relative calm

KHARTOUM: After days of relative calm, violent clashes have again erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum.

According to witnesses, fierce clashes took place on Wednesday in Khartoum and around the Al-Halfaya bridge, which links Bahri and Omdurman, the adjacent cities of the capital.

Video footage obtained by Xinhua news agency showed the army conducting intensive air bombardment against RSF military posts in the north of Bahri and deploying army convoys on the main streets.

The SAF confirmed in a statement that it "carried out a wide combing operation in Bahri", adding the operation resulted in "hundreds of deaths of rebel militia, destruction of dozens of armed vehicles and removal of many enemy checkpoints in the area".

According to the statement, the armed forces "also successfully ambushed a group of the rebel militia in the south of Bahri, destroyed seven armed vehicles, and seized six others".

The army called on the citizens to avoid areas of clashes, stay indoors, and take necessary precautions for their safety.

In response, the RSF published video clips showing their response to an army attack on their positions in Bahri.

It claimed shooting down two army planes in Bahri and the seizure of military vehicles which the RSF said belonged to the army.

"The support forces are advancing in their battles against the coup forces in all axes in Khartoum, inflicting heavy losses on them in lives and equipment," the RSF said in a statement late Wednesday.

The Khartoum State Security Committee has decided to submit urgent recommendations to SAF chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, which includes declaring a state of emergency, a curfew, and a general mobilisation, in addition to taking urgent measures to tackle shortages of food materials and services.

Since the violence first erupted on April 15, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated that more than 700,000 people were now displaced within the war-torn nation's territory, while UN statistics revealed at least 100,000 Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries for safety.

According to the latest figures provided by the country's health ministry in early May, the clashes have left at least 550 people dead and nearly 5,000 others injured.

Talks between the two warring parties to end the conflict and open humanitarian passages for aid delivery and evacuation from the war-torn country are currently underway in the Saudi city of Jeddah, with no major progress reported so far.