Fighting continues in Sudan and at least 60 civilians have already died Conflict between army and paramilitary

The Fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR).The African nation’s paramilitary group spread out on Sunday with a draw At least 60 civilians were killedincluding three United Nations staff. They recorded during the day Fierce clashes with planes, armored vehicles and trucks with machine guns Mounted in the nearby town of Omdurman, the capital of Khartoum. Except for the fight, unleashed A power struggle between the two generals who staged the 2021 coupThe day was marked by a scare A three-hour ceasefire And The opening of a humanitarian corridor allowed the evacuation of more than a thousand people.

Violence continues

There was a fight there this Sunday Khartoum and Omdurman Army Headquarters, International Airport and Headquarters of State Television. An Army official said FAR militants clashed with troops at army camps early on Sunday and a fire broke out at a facility for ground forces.

In the capital, smoke was seen above a paramilitary camp and the international airport. Both the military and the FAR claim control of strategic locations in Khartoum and other parts of the country’s central-eastern region.. The situation is similar in the western region of Darfur, where tens of thousands of people live in camps for displaced people after years of civil war with accusations of genocide.

At least 60 civilians have already died and 600 have been injured in the clashes, according to the country’s medical association. There are also dozens of deaths among militants. The battles began on Saturday morning, when the leader So far It announced the capture of the international airport and the presidential palace in Khartoum He called for the people and soldiers to revolt against the army.

The armed forces, for their part, denied the FAR takeover of the international airport, asserting that some paramilitaries “infiltrated and set fire to civilian aircraft, including Saudi Airlines,” which was confirmed by Saudi Arabia.

A three-hour ceasefire

The relief of the day Opening of humanitarian corridors in residential areas in Sudan, an agreement reached between the FAR and the Army at the request of the UN was fulfilled. Luck of this fight It allowed the evacuation of 450 boys and girls from a school in the center of KhartoumThey were trapped for more than 24 hours without access to basic services as power, drinking water and telecommunications were cut off for hours due to shelling and artillery fire.

A Sudan Red Crescent worker said on condition of anonymity that they were able to evacuate more than 1,000 people from various schools, offices and institutions in the Sudanese capital. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), clashes are taking place near densely populated areas of Khartoum and other cities in the country. Hostilities also directly affect humanitarian workers.

Among them the UN World Food Program (WFP)That It decided to temporarily suspend its operations in Sudan after the deaths of three of its employees In acts of violence in North Darfur. Also, the United Nations condemned the looting of several humanitarian facilities during the chaos unleashed by the conflict, while the organization’s Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for those responsible for the deaths of civilians and WFP staff in Sudan to be urgently brought to justice. the way

Tension between the two sides

The conflict has been building for weeks to prevent a political agreement One of the poorest countries in the world. Since the popular uprising that ousted Omar al-Bashir in 2019, Sudan is trying to hold its first free elections after 30 years of authoritarian rule.

During the coup that ended the democratic transition in October 2021, the army chief, Abdul Fatah Al Burhanand Chairman of FAR, Gen Mohamed Hamdan Tagalo, Join forces to oust civilians from government. But still A rivalry between two generalsSaturday turned into a confrontation. Both sides blame the other for the violence and claim to control key areas of the capital.

The differences between the two sides mainly focus on the future of paramilitary forces and their integration into the armed forces. Although the military does not reject their assimilation, it prefers to impose their conditions and limit their assimilation At the time. General Tagalo, on the other hand, is demanding a wider recruitment and, above all, a position for him in the general staff.

On Saturday night, both sides said they were not ready to negotiate. An army led by al-Burhan called for its removal So far, which he described as “rebel fighters”. For his part, the chairman So farGeneral Taghalo told the Saudi News Network Al Arabiya The possibility of negotiation is rejected and Al-Burhan was asked to surrender.

An invitation to rejection and dialogue

Meanwhile, the Diplomatic pressure to end conflict continues to increase. US Secretary of State, Anthony BlinkenHe said he had consulted with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” they agreed. It is imperative that the parties immediately cease hostilities without preconditions.”. Meanwhile, the Arab League will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Sudan at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Civil Opposition Alliance Forces of Freedom and Change (FLyC), the main civilian group in Sudan, remained silent throughout the day on Saturday as fighting erupted between the army and the FAR. The FLyC is the most prominent civilian group in the country, and before the conflict began, they negotiated a political accord with the paramilitaries and uniformed soldiers who staged the 2021 coup. Therefore, they called on the military and the FAR to “cease. Immediately return to the table of military confrontations and negotiations”.