Heavy fighting in Khartoum continues unabated, 16 days after
May 1, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – Clashes persisted on Monday between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) despite their commitment to a 72-hour humanitarian truce that started on Sunday night.
The military confrontation, which has been ongoing for 16 days, has spread to various areas of the Sudanese capital where heavy weapons, warplanes, and anti-aircraft guns have been used, resulting in significant casualties and damage to military and civilian structures.
Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North (Bahri) have witnessed an intense flight of warplanes since the early hours of the morning, targeting RSF sites, which responded with anti-aircraft guns. This has caused extreme panic for residents living in the crosshairs of the clashes.
The Sudanese army air force carried out raids on the locations of the paramilitary forces in the three towns.
Witnesses who spoke with the “Sudan Tribune” reported that warplanes had bombed an RSF site in the Kafouri area in northern Khartoum, as well as a convoy in Al-Inqaz Street in Bahri, along with RSF positions near the presidential palace, south of Khartoum, and near the radio and television buildings in Omdurman.
Sharq al-Nil Hospital in eastern Khartoum was also bombed.
On Sunday, the army stated that the Rapid Support Forces had taken over East Nile Hospital and transformed it into a military base and an operational centre after evacuating patients.
The army spokesman released a statement on Monday indicating that the army had decreased the RSF’s combat capabilities by 45-55% during the 15 days of fighting.
The statement also said that the militia forces before the clashes have mobilized 27,135 fighters, 39,490 recruits, 1,950 combat vehicles, 104 armoured personnel carriers, and 171 double-cab box vehicles armed with machine guns.
For their part, the Rapid Support Forces accused the army of bombing their medical department’s headquarters in Shambat, north of Khartoum, killing wounded people who were receiving treatment at the site.
The group also accused “coup plotters” of utilizing the military hospital in Omdurman as a platform for artillery shelling towards the RSF’ medical department headquarters in Shambat.
In an interview with Asharq TV on Monday, the RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo disclosed that some 480 Sudanese army officers who were on secondment to the RSF have rejoined the army. Some of them took the new recruits and forces under their command with them.
The United Nations cautioned on Monday that ongoing clashes between opposing military factions in the capital of Sudan may result in the displacement of up to 800,000 people from the country.
(ST)