At least 56 dead, more than 590 wounded in Sudan

Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary force battled fiercely in the capital and other areas, dealing a new blow to hopes for a transition to democracy and raising fears of a wider conflict. A doctors’ syndicate said Sunday the death toll rose to 56, with at least 595 people wounded.

The clashes capped months of heightened tensions between the military and its partner-turned-rival, the Rapid Support Forces group. Those tensions had delayed a deal with political parties to get the country back to its short-lived transition to democracy, which was derailed by an October 2021 military coup.

Chaotic scenes unfolded in the capital of Khartoum, where fighters firing from truck-mounted machine guns battled in densely populated neighborhoods. ‘Fire and explosions are everywhere,’ said Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman. ‘We haven’t seen such battles in Khartoum before,’ said resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.

By the end of the day, the military issued a statement ruling out out negotiations with the RSF, instead calling for the dismantling of what it called a ‘rebellious militia.’ The head of the paramilitary group, in turn, branded the armed forces chief a ‘criminal.’ The tough language signaled that the conflict between the former allies, who jointly orchestrated the 2021 coup, was likely to continue.

Source: Somali National News Agency