At least 26 dead and 103 wounded in clashes in Sudan, according to medical group

KHARTOUM, Sudan — A group of Sudanese medics said at least 26 people were killed and 103 wounded in fighting Saturday between the country’s army and a powerful paramilitary force.

The deaths occurred in areas across the country, including the capital city Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman, the Sudan Doctors Union said in a statement. Many of the wounded were in southwestern Sudan.

The violence comes after months of escalating tensions between the armed forces and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and years of political instability since the October 2021 military coup. It raised fears of a broader conflict among many as fighting continued. until Saturday night.

After a day of heavy fighting, the military scrapped negotiations with the RSF, calling instead for the dismantling of what it called a «rebel militia.» The harsh language indicated that conflict was likely to continue between the former allies, who jointly orchestrated the 2021 coup.

In a statement late Saturday, the army urged Sudanese to stay inside their homes while its Air Force pursued RSF troops.

The fight broke out early Saturday morning. The sounds of heavy gunfire could be heard throughout the day in the capital Khartoum and in its sister city of Omdurman, where the army and RSF have amassed tens of thousands of troops since the coup.

Witnesses said fighters from both sides fired from armored vehicles and truck-mounted machine guns into densely populated areas. Some tanks were seen in Khartoum. The army said it launched strikes from planes and drones against RSF positions in and around the capital.

As night fell, residents said they still heard the sounds of gunshots and explosions in different parts of Khartoum, including around the military headquarters and other bases.

Those from Khartoum described chaotic scenes. «There are fires and explosions everywhere,» said Amal Mohamed, a doctor at a public hospital in Omdurman.

«We have never seen such battles in Khartoum before,» said resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.

One of the critical points was the Khartoum International Airport. There was no formal announcement that the airport was closed, but major airlines suspended their flights.

Saudi Arabia’s national airline said one of its planes was involved in what it called «an accident.» Video showed the plane on fire on the runway. Another plane also appeared to have caught fire. The FlightRadar24 flight tracking website identified it as a Boeing 737 of SkyUp, an airline based in kyiv, Ukraine. He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Sudanese Doctors Union said two civilians were killed at the airport. Another man was shot dead in North Kordofan state, he said. The BBC said one of its reporters was detained by soldiers, taken to military headquarters and beaten.

Armed forces and RSF leaders traded blame over who started Saturday’s fighting and offered conflicting accounts of who was in control of key facilities.

General Abdel-Fattah Burhancommander of Sudan’s armed forces, told the Qatar-based Al Jazeera satellite news network that RSF troops first «harassed» the armed forces south of Khartoum, sparking clashes.

Burhan accused the RSF of entering the Khartoum airport and setting some planes on fire. He also said that all strategic facilities, including the military headquarters and the republican palace, the seat of Sudan’s presidency, are under the control of his forces. He threatened to deploy more troops to Khartoum.

RSF chief General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo accused Burhan of starting the battle by encircling RSF troops. “This criminal, he imposed this battle on us,” he said.

Dagalo told Al Jazeera that he believes that in «the next few days» it will all be over.

The RSF claimed that its forces controlled strategic locations in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe, some 215 miles northwest of the capital. The military dismissed the claims as «lies.»

The fighting comes after months of escalating tensions between the generals and years of political instability since the 2021 coup. The tensions stem from a disagreement over how the RSF, led by Dagalo, should be integrated into the armed forces and what authority You must monitor the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition deal with the political groups.

Pro-democracy activists have blamed Burhan and Dagalo for abuses against protesters across the county over the past four years, including the deadly breakup of a protest encampment outside the military headquarters in Khartoum in June 2019 that killed more than 120 protesters. Many groups have repeatedly called for them to be held accountable. The RSF has long been accused of atrocities related to the Darfur conflict.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior diplomats expressed extreme concern over the outbreak of violence. “We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and continue talks to resolve outstanding issues,” Blinken wrote on Twitter.

the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres; the top diplomat of the European Union, Josep Borrell; the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; the head of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit; and Qatar called for a ceasefire and for both sides to return to negotiations. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates called on those fighting in Sudan to exercise restraint and work for a political solution.