(CNN) At least 25 people have been killed and 183 wounded in clashes across Sudan, the Sudanese Central Medical Committee told CNN on Saturday.
Sudan’s paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo claimed to have seized most of the official sites in Khartoum after clashes between his armed group and the country’s military on Saturday.
“The Rapid Support Forces control more than 90 percent of strategic sites 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, disputed Dagalo’s claims and said the military maintained control of government sites.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo attended the rally in Abraq, Sudan on June 22,
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Dagalo — also known as Hemedti — described Burhan as a “criminal,” accusing him of inciting Saturday’s fighting, which led to three civilian deaths. and dozens were injured.
Armed clashes were reported across Khartoum, including the presidential palace and the capital’s army headquarters. Medical sources at a hospital in central Khartoum told CNN Saturday afternoon that the hospital had received several wounded civilians and military personnel in the past few hours.
Heavy smoke billows over buildings around Khartoum airport on April 15, 2023, amid clashes in the Sudanese capital.
Sudan’s military said Rapid Support Forces infiltrated Khartoum airport and set fire to civilian aircraft.
“To our noble people, the rebel forces continue their cycles of treacherous plots and attacks against our country and its national sovereignty. Official spokesman of the Armed Forces said in a statement.
Dagalo’s rapid rise to power began when he was a leader of Sudan’s notorious Janjaweed forces, which were implicated in human rights violations in the Darfur conflict in the early 2000s. His group also killed at least 118 people in pro-democracy protests in June 2019 after troops opened fire on a peaceful sit-in.
‘Traitorous Plot’
Sudan’s army has accused the Rapid Support Forces of a “treasonous plot” against the country, and demanded its disbandment.
There will be “no negotiation or dialogue before Hemedti’s rebel militia is disbanded,” the Sudanese army said in a statement. It also issued a wanted poster for Dagalo, calling him a “fugitive criminal.”
UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the leaders of the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces to “immediately stop hostilities,” while the UN Security Council issued a statement stressing “the importance of maintaining humanitarian access and the safety of UN personnel will be ensured.”
The African Union also issued a statement urging “political and military parties to seek a fair political solution to the crisis.”
The General Command of the Sudanese Army issued a statement calling on civilians to stay indoors as warplanes will carry out sweeps in search of the Rapid Support Forces.
“The Sudanese Air Force will carry out a complete sweep of the presence of the rebel Rapid Support militia. The Air Force calls on all citizens to stay inside their homes and not go out,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the “fragile” situation comes amid negotiations 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 a transition to a civilian government.
“This is a fragile situation. There are other actors who may be pushing against that development. But this is a real opportunity to finally continue the civilian-led transition and one that we and other countries trying to strengthen,” the top US diplomat added.
Blinken also discussed the situation in a joint phone call with Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah and his United Arab Emirates counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, according to the Saudi Press Agency. .
The discussion emphasized the importance of stopping the military escalation and returning to the framework agreement in a way that guarantees the security and stability of Sudan, it said.
The Khartoum State Security Committee on Saturday declared a public holiday in the capital “to preserve the lives of citizens and their property.”
The military has ruled Sudan since a coup in 2021, with Burhan and Dagalo at the helm. The 2021 coup ended a power-sharing arrangement, following the 2019 ouster of longtime former President Omar al-Bashir.
A CNN investigation also uncovered another connection between the two men: their involvement with Russia in exploiting Sudan’s gold resources to finance its war in Ukraine, with Dagalo’s forces being the key recipients of the training and weapons in Russia.
But recent talks have led to cracks in the alliance between the two military leaders. The negotiations seek to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the country’s military, as part of an effort to transition to civilian rule.
Sources in the Sudanese civil movement and Sudanese military sources told CNN that the main points of contention include the timeline for the unification of forces, the status given to RSF officials in the future hierarchy, and whether RSF forces should be under the command of the army chief. — instead of the commander-in-chief of Sudan — which Burhan is now.
The clashes, sources told CNN, are the culmination of what both parties see as an existential battle for dominance, one with Burhan, they said, seeking support from Sudan. former Islamist rulers, resurrecting the ghosts of the days many Sudanese fought to leave behind.
Additional reporting by Reuters.
