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Sudan: Rapid Support Force claims control of presidential palace




CNN

At least 25 people have been killed and 183 others injured in clashes across Sudan, Sudan’s Central Health Commission told CNN on Saturday.

Sudan’s paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo claims to have captured most of Khartoum’s official sites after clashes broke out between his armed group and the country’s army on Saturday. .

“Quick Support Forces control over 90% of strategic locations in Khartoum,” Dagalo said in an interview with Sky News Arabia, referring to his paramilitary group.

The country’s military leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, denied Dagalo’s claims and said the army had maintained control over government sites.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo attends a rally in the village of Abraq, Sudan, on June 22, 2019.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dagalo – also known as Hemedti – described Burhan as a “criminal”, accusing him of instigating Saturday’s fighting, which resulted in the deaths of three civilians and goods. Dozens of people were injured.

Armed clashes were reported across Khartoum, including the presidential palace and the military headquarters of the capital. Medical sources at a hospital in central Khartoum told CNN on Saturday afternoon that the hospital had received dozens of wounded civilians and military personnel in the past few hours.

Thick smoke rises above buildings in the vicinity of Khartoum airport on April 15, 2023, amid clashes in the Sudanese capital.

The Sudanese military said the Rapid Support Force had infiltrated the Khartoum airport and set fire to the civilian aircraft.

“Dear our respected people, the insurgent forces are continuing the cycle of plotting to betray and attack our country and its sovereignty. Since this morning, your Armed Forces children have fought with their lives for the rights and dignity of our nation,” an official Armed Forces spokesman said in a statement. declare.

Dagalo rose to power quickly as he was the leader of the notorious Janjaweed force in Sudan, which was implicated in human rights abuses during the Darfur conflict of the early 2000s. His group also killed at least 118 people in pro-democracy protests in June 2019 after the military opened fire at a peaceful sit-in demonstration.

The Sudanese military accused the Rapid Support Force of a “treasonous plot” against the country and demanded its dissolution.

“There will be no negotiation or dialogue before disbanding Hemedti’s rebel militia,” the Sudanese military said in a statement. It also released a wanted poster for Dagalo, calling him “a fugitive”.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the leaders of the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces to “immediately end hostilities”, while the United Nations Security Council issued a statement emphasizing “The importance of humanitarian access is maintained and ensuring the safety of UN personnel. ”

The African Union also released a statement urging “political and military parties to find a just political solution to the crisis.”

The Sudanese Army General Command issued a statement urging civilians to stay indoors as fighter jets will conduct raids in search of the Rapid Support Force.

“The Sudanese Air Force will conduct a full sweep of the rebel Rapid Support militia presence. The Air Force urges all residents to stay indoors and not go out,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the situation was “fragile” amid talks on a civilian-led transition to restore civilian rule in the country.

“The major parties in Khartoum, a few weeks ago reached a very important framework agreement on how to proceed with the transition to civilian government. And there has been real progress in trying to promote that,” Blinken said at a news conference in Vietnam.

“It is a fragile situation. There are other actors that may be fighting that process. But this is a real opportunity to finally accelerate a civilian-led transition and one that we and other countries are trying to promote,” said the top US diplomat. more.

Blinken also discussed the situation in a joint phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his counterpart in the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the Arab Press Agency.

The discussion emphasized the importance of stopping military escalation and returning to the framework agreement in a way that ensures Sudan’s security and stability.

Khartoum’s State Security Committee late Saturday declared a public holiday in the capital “in order to protect the lives of citizens and their property.”

The military has been in charge of Sudan since a coup in 2021, with Burhan and Dagalo at the helm. The 2021 coup ended the power-sharing agreement, after longtime former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in 2019.

A CNN investigation also discovered another connection between the two men: they were involved in Russia’s exploitation of Sudan’s gold resources to finance the war in Ukraine, with Dagalo’s forces also the main recipients of training. Russian training and weapons.

But recent negotiations have led to a rift in the alliance between the two military leaders. The talks sought to integrate the Rapid Support Force into the country’s military, as part of an effort to transition to civilian rule.

Sources in Sudan’s civilian movement and Sudanese military sources told CNN that key points of contention include the timing of the consolidation of forces, and the status given to RSF officers in the divisional system. future levels and whether RSF forces should be under the command of the military commander – rather than Sudan’s commander-in-chief – who is now Burhan.

Sources told CNN the hostility was the culmination of what both sides see as an existential battle for dominance, one with Burhan, they said, seeking support from Muslim rulers old Sudan, reviving the specter of the days many Sudanese have fought to leave behind.

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