Heavy gunfire and blasts were reported in Sudan’s capital Khartoum following days of tension between the armed forces and a powerful paramilitary group.
Shooting and blasts took place in the vicinity of Sudan’s army headquarters, the defence ministry, and the airport in Khartoum.
Egypt coordinating with Sudanese authorities on safety of Egyptian forces
Egypt’s military is closely following the situation in Sudan and is coordinating with the relevant Sudanese authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, according to army spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez.
His statement came as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shared a video that they said showed Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan.
Roots of crisis go back to period of al-Bashir: Analyst
International Crisis Group’s Alan Boswell has said that the roots of the current crisis go back to the period of President Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for about 30 years before he was overthrown through mass protests in 2019.
“Near the end of his time in power, the Sudanese security forces have grown very fragmented which weakened the army quite a bit,” he told Al Jazeera from Doha, adding that the army included lots of tribal militias.
“He essentially did what is called coup-proofing in which he was concerned that any security institution would challenge him that he allowed proliferation of different armed groups and centres within the country,” Boswell said.
He concluded that essentially the two main actors, the RSF and the army, turned against each other after colluding for four years after the removal of Bashir.
African Union calls for urgent ceasefire
The African Union has called for an “urgent” ceasefire in a press statement.
“Today when things have gone dangerously out of control and resort to armed violence has prevailed as a way of resolving political disputes, the President of the Commission of the African Union makes a fervent appeal to all parties, armed forces and [RSF], in particular, to immediately cease the destruction of the country, the panic of the populations and the bloodbaths of innocent people in the last 10 days of holy month of Ramadan,” it said.
Residence at army HQ attacked this morning: Al-Burhan
Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has told Al Jazeera that the RSF attacked his residence at the army headquarters around 9am local time.
“And that’s when things got out of hand between the two sides,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reported.
Paramilitary force shares video they claim shows ‘surrendered’ Egyptian troops
The RSF has shared a video that it says shows Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan.
There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in Merowe, but Egyptian and Sudanese troops have periodically staged joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.
The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking to members of the RSF in an Egyptian Arabic dialect to troops in RSF uniforms.
Reuters could not immediately verify the footage and Egyptian authorities did not immediately make any public comment on the matter.
