Fighting rages in Sudan as death toll passes 100

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The deadly power struggle between Sudan's rival generals

The future of Sudan essentially rests in the hands of two men - General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan who heads the military, and Mohamed Hamdan 'Hemedti' Dagalo who leads the Rapid Support Forces militia. 

Read this piece to learn more about these two powerful figures who have thrust Sudan into another bloody conflict.

UN chief appeals for halt to fighting in Sudan

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday strongly condemned the outbreak of fighting in Sudan and appealed to the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis.

"I urge all those with influence over the situation to use it in the cause of peace; to support efforts to end the violence, restore order, and return to the path of transition," he said. "The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already precarious and is now catastrophic."

(Reuters)

Sudan ruling council declares rival faction as 'rebels', battles unrelenting

Sudan's army chief on Monday branded the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces a rebellious group and ordered it be dissolved, the foreign ministry said, as the faction battled the army in the capital and across the country.

Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan heads the ruling council while RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is his deputy. Both sides said they had made gains on Monday.

The RSF claimed it had captured an airport and military bases, while the military said it was in control of its headquarters despite what it called "limited clashes" in the vicinity.

الاستيلاء على دبابات بالقاعدة الجوية جبل أولياء

ـــــــــــــــــــــــ#العزة_والمجد_للوطن#قوات_الدعم_السريع#جاهزية_سرعة_حسم pic.twitter.com/XhyEAQKVFM

— Rapid Support Forces - قوات الدعم السريع (@RSFSudan) April 17, 2023

The army regained control of the main television station, which briefly went off air after gunfire was heard during a live broadcast. The station began broadcasting videos showing the army destroying RSF vehicles, a day after the RSF said it had taken over the building.

مباشر الآن تلفزيون السودان pic.twitter.com/PZFSOqB6fE

— 🇸🇩AbuOmar (@SudanNow2030) April 17, 2023

(Reuters)

Sudan's RSF says committed to safety of prisoners it has taken

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Monday it was committed to ensuring the safety of all military people it had captured in the fighting that has broken out in the country.

The RSF said it captured a number of Egyptian soldiers stationed at the Merowe military base when its troops stormed the base on Saturday.

There were disputed reports on Sunday that the Sudanese army had reclaimed the base and the RSF had left it but taken the Egyptian soldiers with them.

RSF leader calls for international intervention amid Sudan fighting

The head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has called on the international community to take action and intervene against what he said were "crimes of Sudanese General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan" in a series of tweets.

We are fighting against radical Islamists who hope to keep Sudan isolated and in the dark, and far removed from democracy. We will continue to pursue Al-Burhan and bring him to justice. 2/4

— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 17, 2023

We are taking every possible measure to ensure the safety and security of the people. We will not allow any harm to come to them, and we will do everything within our power to protect democracy and uphold rule of law in Sudan. We will prevail and achieve peace and stability. 4/4

— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 17, 2023

Egypt, RSF to cooperate on releasing captured soldiers

Cairo has confirmed that a group of Egyptian soldiers has been captured in Sudan by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which said it would cooperate in returning them.

The RSF released a video on Saturday showing the group of captive Egyptian soldiers, who reportedly surrendered themselves in northern Sudan.

UN envoy to Sudan 'disappointed' by truce violations

The UN chief in Sudan on Monday slammed the failure by both the army and rival paramilitary forces to stop fighting during an agreed humanitarian pause to evacuate the wounded.

United Nations Special Representative Volker Perthes said he was "extremely disappointed that humanitarian cessation of hostilities, that both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces had committed to, was only partially honoured yesterday".

'Unprecedented' violence

While Sudan has endured since independence decades of multiple bitter civil wars, coups and rebellions, Sudanese analyst Kholood Khair said the level of fighting inside the capital was "unprecedented".

"This is the first time in Sudan's history - certainly in its independence history - that there has been this level of violence in the centre, in Khartoum," she said.

Khair said RSF forces had "strategically" previously set up bases in "densely populated areas" so that the "high civilian toll would be a deterrent" in case of conflict.

"Of course, now we know that they are so doggedly chasing this prize of overall domination that considerations for civilian protection have gone out of the window," Khair said.

Fighting also raged in other parts of Sudan including the western Darfur region and in the eastern border state of Kassala.

Vital aid suspended

Three UN staff from the World Food Programme are among those killed in fighting in the western region of Darfur, forcing a "temporary halt" to all operations in a country where one-third of the population needs aid.

On Monday morning, loud gunfire and deafening explosions again shook buildings and echoed across the streets of Khartoum as street fighting continued, AFP journalists said.

Power has been off across swathes of Khartoum, and the few grocery stores remaining open warn they will only last a few days if no supplies can enter the city.

Appeals to end the fighting have come from across the region and the globe, including the African Union, Arab League and East African bloc IGAD.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned an escalation in the fighting would "further aggravate the already precarious humanitarian situation".

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged the warring rivals to agree an "immediate cessation of violence" and start talks.