Saturday 20 / April / 2024
Khartoum: Clashes erupted on Saturday in Sudan's capital Khartoum between the country's military and the powerful Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary, with contradicting claims of who controlled key facilities in what appears to be an attempted coup.
RSF said its units have taken control of the presidential palace and Khartoum's international airport, along with another airport and military base north of the capital.
The country's military, meanwhile, said in a statement it had gained control over RSF leadership "without resistance" and had struck RSF bases, chasing after the paramilitary fighters.
It claimed the paramilitaries said they did not want to be "used to achieve their leadership's personal goals and ambitions."
It was not initially possible to verify statements by both sides.
Sudan military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, overthrew Sudan's long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. The military and the RSF jointly held power from fall 2021, but tensions between the two military leaders have increased in recent months.
What else do we know so far?
Gunfire could be heard in several parts of Khartoum and eyewitnesses reported shooting in adjoining cities.
The General Intelligence said claims of RSF control over Burhan's residence were false.
Local media reported that military forces were blocking entrances to the palace and surrounding the state TV building.
A TV anchor briefly appeared to say there were clashes inside the building, with gunshots heard in the background, the Reuters news agency reported.
Reports also suggested flights from Khartoum airports were suspended, with many flights sent back.
Unverified videos on Twitter showed what was identified as RSF forces on the runway of the international airport.
State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines said one of its Airbus aircraft "had an accident" at the airport before its scheduled departure to Riyadh on Saturday, without providing further details.
Saudia also said in a statement that its flights to and from Sudan had been suspended until further notice.
Calls for ending the fighting
The US embassy in Khartoum said it ordered its staff as well as American citizens in the country to "shelter in place." The UK embassy also issued a similar call, saying it was closely monitoring the situation.
US Ambassador John Godfrey said he was woken up "to the deeply disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting."
"Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous," Godfrey said, calling on senior military leaders to cease fighting.
Russia's embassy in Khartoum also expressed its concern due to the "escalation of violence."
It called on the fighting parties to cease fire.
Regional players including Egypt and Saudi Arabia also called for calm and expressed concern.
Why have tensions flared recently?
The crisis between the military and the RSF escalated after both forces failed to reach an agreement over restructuring the military, seen as a prerequisite before forming a civilian government.
The agreement to launch a new transition toward elections that would bring the country back on a civilian track after the October 2021 coup was initially reached late last year.
A top army general accused the RSF on Thursday of deploying forces across the country without the army's consent, warning of potential clashes in a rare televised speech.
The paramilitary force, which had deployed troops near the northern town of Merowe, defended the presence of its forces. Merowe lies some 330 kilometers north of Khartoum.
The military later said in a statement it was in control of the RSF's Merowe base, adding that paramilitaries have fled.
The RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militia, which Sudan's then-president, Omar al Bashir, leaned on in his crackdown on the western Darfur region in the early 2000s.
The militia is accused of committing war crimes against Darfur's non-Arab rebels.
