KHARTOUM, (Sudan): The forces of two rival generals fought intense street battles in Sudan’s capital on Friday, witnesses reported, as the parties in the week-long conflict ignored appeals for an end-of-Ramadan ceasefire.
More than 400 people have been killed and thousands have been wounded since the fighting erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who is commonly known as Hemeti.
Khartoum was rocked by explosions and clashes for the sixth straight night, medics said, even as the Eid al-Fitr celebrations marking the end of the holy Muslim month of fasting began.
White House calls for immediate Sudan ceasefire
Soldiers and paramilitaries fought fierce street battles later during the day in densely populated districts of the capital, with witnesses reporting bombs falling near the army’s headquarters in the city of five million.
Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called separately for a ceasefire of “at least” three days to mark Eid.
The RSF, a powerful force formed from members of the Janjaweed militia that led years of extreme violence in the western Darfur region, said they would commit to a 72-hour ceasefire starting at dawn (0400 GMT).
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.