Sudan army launches air strikes on Rapid Support Forces bases in power struggle

Witnesses said that the Sudanese army appeared to have the upper hand in a violent power struggle with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), after the army targeted its bases with air strikes, while at least 59 civilians were killed, including three United Nations employees.

On Saturday, clashes broke out between army units loyal to the head of the Sovereignty Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by the deputy head of the Sovereignty Council, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

These clashes, the first since Al-Burhan and Hemedti participated in the overthrow of former President Omar Al-Bashir in 2019, erupted due to a dispute over the integration of the Rapid Support Forces into the army as part of a transitional phase towards civilian rule.

The UN mission in Sudan said that Al-Burhan and Hemedti agreed to stop the fighting for three hours (1400 to 1700 GMT) on Sunday, based on a proposal by the UN.

The Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said that it is difficult for paramedics and patients to reach hospitals and called on the army and the RSF to provide safe passages.

Eyewitnesses said the shooting appeared to subside at first in central Khartoum, but soon the heavy shelling resumed.

As night fell, after the ceasefire expired, residents reported artillery shelling and air strikes in Kafouri, Khartoum, where the RSF base is located.

The US, China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and the African Union (AU) have called for an immediate end to hostilities, which threaten to exacerbate instability in an already volatile region.

Witnesses and residents said that the army launched air strikes on the barracks and bases of the Rapid Support Forces, some of which are in the city of Omdurman, and managed to destroy most of their facilities.

They added that the army regained control of a large part of the presidential palace in Khartoum from the Rapid Support Forces after both sides announced control of it, along with other important facilities in the city, which is still witnessing clashes with heavy artillery and firearms.

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