Street fighting erupts in Sudan’s capital as Eid ceasefire calls go unheeded | World News

Forces of two rival generals engaged in fierce street fighting in the Sudanese capital on Friday, as both sides ignored calls for a ceasefire to end Ramadan in a week-long clash, eyewitnesses reported.

More than 400 people have been killed and thousands wounded since fighting broke out on Saturday between forces loyal to Sudanese army chief Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohammad Hamdan Daglo. Known as the Hemeti.

Khartoum was rocked by explosions and clashes for a sixth night in a row, medics said, even as Eid al-Fitr celebrations, which mark the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, began.

Khartoum resident Sami al-Nour told AFP that Eid al-Fitr should be spent “with sweets and pastries, happy children and people greeting relatives”. Instead, “the sound of gunshots and the smell of blood are all around us.”

Soldiers and paramilitaries engaged in fierce street fighting in densely populated areas of Khartoum, with witnesses reporting bombs falling near the army headquarters in the city of five million people.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antonio Blinken each called for a ceasefire for “at least” three days to mark Eid al-Fitr.

The RSF, a powerful force of members of the Janjaweed militia that has led years of extreme violence in West Darfur, said they would commit to a 72-hour ceasefire from dawn (0400GMT).

But it didn’t take hold like the previous two times, with heavy gunfire ringing out in the street and plumes of black smoke wafting overhead.

Fighting across Sudan has so far killed 413 people and wounded 3,551, the World Health Organization said, but the death toll is believed to be higher, with many wounded unable to reach hospitals.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) urged all parties to provide “immediate and unhindered humanitarian access” to access the wounded, stressing that this is a “legal obligation under international humanitarian law”.

– ‘Nightmare scene’ –

Dozens of Burhan supporters rallied in Port Sudan on Thursday against the presence of the United Arab Emirates ambassador, accused of ties to Daglo, denouncing “foreign interference”.

Analysts have warned that the conflict could affect countries in the region, with the United Nations saying as many as 20,000 people have fled to neighboring Chad.

Burhan appeared on television for the first time since hostilities began a week ago.

“This Eid, our country is bleeding: destruction, desolation and gunshots outweigh joy,” he said in a pre-recorded video.

“We hope we come out of this ordeal more united…one army, one people…to civilian power.”

The International Crisis Group (ICG) said urgent steps were needed to prevent a plunge into “all-out civil war”, warning that “the nightmare many fear in Sudan is unfolding”.

The violence could push millions into hunger in a country where 15 million people, or a third of the population, need aid, the World Food Program has warned.

It suspended operations in Sudan after three WFP staff were killed on Saturday.

On Friday, the United Nations migration agency said one of its employees died after his vehicle “was caught in the crossfire”.

Burhan and Daglo’s bitter debate centered on plans to include the RSF in the regular army, a key condition of a deal aimed at restoring Sudan’s democratic transition.

“What happened was inevitable,” said Ibrahim Awad, a Khartoum resident. “A country ruled by two leaders cannot march, cannot have two armies.”

– ‘They don’t care’ –

Civilians grew desperate, with thousands fleeing Khartoum through dangerous streets, many of which were reportedly littered with dead bodies.

“It’s just a power struggle,” said Abdul Wahid Othman, a Khartoum resident. “They don’t care about poor people who don’t have water, electricity…”.

Plans are being drawn up to evacuate foreign citizens, the United States, South Korea and Japan deploy troops to nearby countries, and the European Union is considering similar moves.

Medical staff have warned of a potential tragedy, with more than two-thirds of hospitals in Khartoum and neighboring states “out of service” because of the fighting, the doctors’ union said. At least four hospitals in northern Kordofan state have been shelled, they said.

In El Fasher, Darfur, about 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of Khartoum, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said the situation was “catastrophic”.

“There are so many patients that they are being treated on the floor,” said Cyrus Paye, MSF project coordinator.

Burhan and Daglo together overthrew autocratic President Omar al-Bashir in April 2019 following mass protests against his 30-year iron-fisted rule.

In October 2021, they joined forces to overthrow the civilian government installed after Bashir’s ouster, undermining an internationally-backed democratic transition.

“With neither Burhan nor Hemeti prepared to back down, things could get worse,” the ICG think tank said.

The ICG added: “Even if the army does eventually secure the capital and Hemeti retreats to Darfur, civil war is likely to ensue, which could wreak havoc on neighboring Chad, Central African Republic, Libya and South Sudan stabilizing effect.”