Sudan’s slide into chaos brings instability to the entire region of Northeast Africa. The air strike on Omdurman has claimed the lives of at least 22 people.
The struggle for power between the former brothers-in-arms has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people in three months and caused an exodus to the more peaceful regions of Sudan and abroad. It is estimated that 2.9 million people are displaced in neighboring countries.
Secretary General of the UN Antonio Guterres estimates that Sudan is on the brink of full-scale war.
Sudan’s neighboring countries Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan are worried about increasing instability. The countries belonging to the so-called IGAD group will discuss the crisis tomorrow at their meeting in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.
The African Union is also working to end the war. Fierce battles have taken place, for example, in Merowe and El-Obeid.
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The quarreling generals do not respond to the invitation to negotiate
In Sudan, two generals, army commanders, are facing each other by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglon paramilitary RSF forces led by
Commander al-Burhani has reportedly wanted to integrate the RSF forces into the armed forces. General Daglo, who previously supported the armed forces, has not agreed to this.
The generals jointly led a military coup in Sudan in October 2021, ousting the Western-backed interim civilian government.
Heavy equipment has been used in the battles. According to Sudan’s Ministry of Health, at least 22 people were killed and dozens of people were wounded in an airstrike in Omdurman, the sister city of Sudan’s capital Khartoum, today.
So far, there is no certainty as to who is responsible for the airstrike. Government planes have carried out airstrikes on positions of RSF forces, and RSF has used drones and anti-aircraft equipment against government soldiers.
During the war, the ceasefires agreed upon have been broken one after another. The UN warns of crimes against civilians. Witnesses tell of rapes and large-scale looting.
According to the Save the Children organization, dozens of cases of sexual violence have been confirmed during the spring. Members of the RSF squad are mainly held responsible for the rapes.
Ethnic violence is feared to flare up
Sexual crimes are a means of warfare to harm civilians.
The UN has warned of a cycle of ethnic violence, especially in the Darfur region. The western region of Darfur is just recovering from a humanitarian crisis that is considered one of the worst in the world. More than 300,000 people died in the war that started in 2003.
Tensions are increased by the mutual disputes between numerous local and regional armed groups.
Reuters, AFP