Deaths Toll Rises To 185 In Sudan Military Allies Supremacy War

Supremacy war between two military allies in Sudan has left 185 people mostly civilians dead with over 1, 800 other persons wounded according to United Nations, UN official.

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leading the Sudanese Armed Forces said that the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, RSF headed by his co coup plotter, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is leading an attempted coup and rebellion against the state.

Clashes began on Saturday between the country’s military and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who said on Sunday that the army had broken a UN-brokered temporary humanitarian ceasefire.

The war is coming shortly after Sudan reportedly gave permission to Russia Government under the leadership of Vladimir Putin to build Naval military base at the Red sea in Sudan.

Burhan, who alongside Dagalo ousted Sudan’s long-time leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a key role in the military coup two years later, said his former ally had mutinied against the state, and if captured, would be tried in court of law, according to CNN News media.

On 15 April 2023, clashes broke out across Sudan, particularly in the capital city of Khartoum, between rival factions of the country’s military government.

By Monday 17 April, the fighting intensified, leaving at least 185 people killed.

The fighting began with attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on key government sites. Explosions and gunfire were reported across Khartoum.

As of 15 April 2023, both RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan claimed to control key government sites, including Sudan TV headquarters, the Presidential Palace, Khartoum International Airport, and the Army chief’s official residence.

The UN special representative to Sudan, Volker Perthes, said 185 people have been killed and 1800 others wounded in the ongoing war between Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support fighters formerly referred to as Janjaweed militia.

A previous death toll by the Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate put the number of deaths at below 100 on Monday morning but warned many people are unable to reach hospitals amid the clashes.

It was gathered that due to continued fighting in the capital city of Khartoum, the deaths toll could be much higher as some bodies are yet to be recovered.

Also, the two forces at conflict are led by generals who each have tens of thousands of fighters supporting them.

Diplomats from the U.S., European Union, African Union and Arab nations called for an immediate ceasefire.

Sudan has a long history of military coups, but fighting in Khartoum and Omdurman across the Nile River were unprecedented, according to close watchers.

Maxar satellite imagery shows over 20 destroyed and severely damaged planes, the Ukrainian low-cost airline SkyUp’s burned-out Boeing 737 among others on Saturday, at Khartoum International Airport when the war began in Sudan. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ukrainian aircrew, who was at the airport, has been relocated to safety.

Sudan’s Foreign Ministry says the country’s army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has ordered the dissolution of the Rapid Support Forces and branded it as a rebellious group. This is coming amid fighting across the country.

The fighting in Sudan occurred after years of political unrest since a military coup in October 2021.

It also follows months of escalating tensions between two generals: one the leader of Sudan’s army, and the other, of Sudan’s biggest paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces.

Civilians in Sudan are pleading for help in self recorded videos shared online showing the situations they’re facing while fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces group keeps them trapped.

It was observed that Civilians in Khartoum struggle to source basic necessities like water and medicine amid an armed fight between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

Sudan has been run by the military since 2021 when the two factions military generals worked together to stage a coup.

International Committee of Red Cross in a statement on Monday quoted its Spokesperson, Germain Mwehu who is currently said to be in Khartoum, saying: “I saw families with children, crying, horrified, mothers don’t know how to manage in such situation”.

EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borell has said in a tweet that the EU’s ambassador to Sudan has been assaulted in his own residency,

“This constitutes a gross violation of the Vienna Convention”, Josep Borell said.

The ongoing war between the two powerful military generals in Sudan may dashed the hope of transition from military rule to democratic government in the country.