Europe News Desk!!! Armed conflict continues in the capital Khartoum despite talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF). SAF commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told Egypt’s Al Cairo News in a phone interview on Monday that the situation was fine throughout Sudan except in Khartoum. We can discuss an agreement once we reach a permanent ceasefire in Khartoum. Burhan was quoted as saying that if there was a split in Khartoum, the war could spread to the rest of Sudan. “Our forces clashed with a group of rebel militias in Bahri (Khartoum North) and destroyed four armed vehicles while the enemy fled,” Xinhua news agency quoted the SAF as saying in a statement on Monday.
Gunshots could still be heard in Khartoum early Tuesday morning. According to a correspondent for Xinhua, a news agency in Khartoum, armed forces fighter jets flew over the city and the RSF fired anti-aircraft guns in response. The SAF accused RSF soldiers of robbing banks and stores, as well as raiding civilian homes and looting their properties in residential areas where RSF fighters are stationed. The SAF warned civilians to stay away from conflict zones and avoid going near any unknown metal objects until technical teams arrive to deal with them.
Meanwhile, an unnamed Saudi diplomat told the media on Monday that talks between the two warring sides in Jeddah had entered the third day, but there was no significant progress. Since the start of the conflict, war-torn areas in Khartoum have been cut off from electricity, water supplies and communications. People are holed up in their homes, struggling with a severe shortage of basic necessities of life and medical services. Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the SAF and the RSF in the capital city Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with both sides accusing each other of starting the conflict. According to UN figures, thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries. At least 550 people have been killed in the conflict, and another 4,926 wounded, according to casualty numbers provided by Sudan’s Ministry of Health in early May.
–IANS
World News Desk!!
PK/SKP