Clashes renewed in the capital, Khartoum, between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, amid exchanges of accusations about responsibility for violating the humanitarian truce that began on Tuesday. The Sudan Doctors Syndicate said that 72% of hospitals in areas of clashes between the two sides of the conflict are "stopped working."
Clashes renewed in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on Wednesday, between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, amid an exchange of accusations about responsibility for violating the humanitarian truce that began on Tuesday and will end on Thursday.
This comes as the Sudanese ambassador to Ankara, Nader Youssef, stated that the Sudanese army "succeeded in striking several supply lines" of the Rapid Support Forces recently, especially in the capital Khartoum and its environs, and therefore "the army's resolution of the situation in the capital and its gradual securing is very possible in the coming days."
He attributed the gradual dimension of the operation to "the armed forces' keenness not to harm civilians" in the areas where the Rapid Support Forces are holed up.
Eyewitnesses reported that the clashes were renewed in the vicinity of the General Command and the Presidential Palace in central Khartoum.
While others mentioned that the areas of Saleh and Al-Murabat in the city of Omdurman, west of the capital, are witnessing violent battles between the two parties.
Against the background of the renewed clashes, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces exchanged accusations of being responsible for violating the humanitarian truce, which entered into force on Tuesday for a period of 72 hours, through Saudi-American mediation, with the aim of "opening humanitarian corridors" in addition to following up the "evacuations of foreign nationals."
The army said in a statement posted on its Facebook page: "The rebels' violations of the declared truce continue, by attempting to attack the headquarters of the army's central capital district in central Khartoum."
In a previous statement on Wednesday, the army stated that "the rebel forces (the Rapid Support Forces) are still continuing to violate the truce declared on April 25, by firing artillery at the army's general command in central Khartoum."
He added, "The sniper teams (teams) are still shooting in the areas surrounding Khartoum Airport, the residential airport neighborhood, and areas in Bahri and Omdurman."
And it said in a statement: "The coup forces (the army) and the remnants of the defunct regime attacked at the same time the positions of the Rapid Support Forces in the presidential palace, the camp grounds in Soba, south of Khartoum, and a number of sites with artillery and warplanes."
She added, "We have repeatedly warned of the cowardly actions of the putschist forces, which are contrary to international humanitarian law, and contradict the declared agreement for the armistice, which was allocated to open safe humanitarian corridors to facilitate the movement of citizens and residents who are nationals of foreign countries."
In its statement, the forces considered that the army's clear lack of commitment to the armistice "confirms that there are a number of decision-making centers within the leadership of the coup forces," referring to the multiplicity of leaderships and their conflicting positions.
72% of hospitals are not working
In a related context, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said, on Wednesday, that 72% of hospitals in the areas adjacent to the clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces are "stopped working."
This came in a statement published by the Syndicate on Facebook, regarding the situation in hospitals until April 25, corresponding to the eleventh day since the beginning of the clashes.
According to the Syndicate, "72% of the hospitals adjacent to our confined clashes areas are out of service."
And she added in her statement that "out of 82 basic hospitals in the capital and the states, there are 59 hospitals that are suspended from service."
The Syndicate stated that "14 hospitals were bombed, and 19 hospitals were forcibly evacuated."
It also indicated that "out of 82 basic hospitals in the capital and the states, there are 23 fully or partially operating hospitals, some of which provide first aid services only, and are also threatened with closure as a result of the lack of medical personnel, medical supplies, water and electricity current."
In the context, the Syndicate reported that "6 ambulances were attacked by the military forces, and others were not allowed to pass to transport patients and deliver aid."
US sponsored negotiation committee
The US State Department revealed, on Wednesday, that it is in contact with regional and international partners to form a negotiating committee in Sudan, as part of efforts to implement a "permanent cessation of hostilities" in the country.
US State Department spokesman Vedant Patil told reporters, "His country is coordinating with regional and international partners and Sudanese civil stakeholders to help establish a committee to oversee negotiations between the parties to the conflict in Sudan."
Patel added, "The aim behind the establishment of the negotiation committee is to conclude and implement a permanent cessation of hostilities and to facilitate humanitarian arrangements in Sudan."
Since April 15, large-scale clashes have continued in a number of Sudanese states between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo "Hemedti", killing and wounding hundreds, most of them civilians.
In 2013, the "Quick Support" was formed to support government forces in their fight against the rebel movements in the Darfur region (west), and then assumed tasks, including combating irregular migration and maintaining security, before the army described it as "rebel" after the outbreak of clashes.
Military fighting in Sudan Where is the conflict heading?
The ongoing clashes in Sudan between the army forces and the so-called "quick support" forces have aroused the interest of the Arab region and the world, amid fears of a slide towards civil war, as the clashes continued despite a 24-hour truce with US intervention between the two parties.
The ongoing clashes in Sudan between the army forces and the forces of the so-called "Quick Support", led by Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as "Hemedti", aroused the interest of the Arab region and the world, amid fears of a slide towards civil war, as the clashes continued despite a 24-hour truce with American intervention . between two sides.
The two parties to the conflict , the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, exchange accusations that each of them launched an attack on the headquarters of the other, in addition to allegations of controlling sites belonging to each of them.
Ambassador Mohamed El-Shazly, Egypt's former ambassador to Sudan, told TRT Arabi that what is happening in Sudan confirms that "the civil war there has already begun," as he put it.
He added that the targeting of civilians "from the two conflicting parties" is taking place in several areas in Sudan, noting that since Sudan's independence in 1956 from Egypt, several successive governments have been unable to stop the bleeding of the country, which led to the secession of South Sudan, leading to the current events .
He explained that since the former President of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir, sought the help of General "Hemeti" to crush the Darfur rebellion, to ward off the use of the official army forces against the citizens of Darfur, the Rapid Support Forces expanded until "Hemeti" became a lieutenant general, which exposed al-Bashir to international criticism and sanctions, and he An order prompted him to rename these forces the "Rapid Support Forces", formerly known as the "Janjaweed".
Al-Shazly believes that "despite the agreement of the army and the Rapid Support Forces to isolate Al-Bashir to restore stability to Sudan, it appears that a state of mistrust between the two sides was present.
An international mediation took place through which it was agreed on civilian rule and the integration of RSF elements into the Sudanese army, but the difference, according to El-Shazly, "was between the two sides regarding how to divide power, which sparked the current crisis."
The former Egyptian ambassador expected Sudan to enter a "quagmire of divisions" as a result of what he called "the weakness of the central force and the emergence of various armed factions," he said.
Another group of experts believes that the RSF had no role in the coup against Al-Bashir, but was rather supportive of him. Unlike the security committee, which was made up of the army, the police and the security apparatus, which had a decisive role in isolating Al-Bashir. They believe that Hamidti entered the military council that assumed power in the interim period after the removal of Al-Bashir.
Fear of the emergence of militias
Dr. Othman Al-Bishri, the representative of the Sudanese Umma Party in Egypt, told TRT Arabi that the civil forces are "an indirect cause of what is happening now in Sudan with its fragmentation and division," calling on them to "align themselves around one opinion and gather within one national front to stand against the ongoing war on land." Sudan by all political means.
Al-Bishri called on the international community and regionally influential countries to put pressure on the two conflicting parties in Sudan to stop the war immediately, stressing “the need to integrate the Rapid Support Forces into the official army forces,” provided that the process takes place under international supervision, noting that the outbreak of the current war was due to “the dispute over details.” around that merger process."
He expressed his fear of a uglier scenario in Sudan with the emergence of other armed militias, such as the "Jibril" militia, "Justice and Equality" and the "Sudan People's Liberation Army Movement" led by Minni Arko Minawi, as well as the "Models" militia, known as the Third Army, which is a dissident armed movement. Jibril's movement and Minawi's movement, in addition to many expected defections, which in turn may lead to "complete ignition of the region."
Al-Bishri affirmed that what Sudan is currently witnessing is an "explicit civil war," explaining that "the entry of the Air Force into the battle caused the injury of dozens of civilians inside Khartoum."
He expressed his fear of the tribes' support for one of the two warring parties, which would further aggravate events and lead to the danger of "dissolving Sudan into states," noting that "the internal war there has no victor or loser, as everyone loses," as he put it.
He pointed to the danger of any "external support for either party through funding, informational support, or otherwise," as this would lead, as he put it, to "the continuation of the war and the ramifications of its scopes," calling on "the international community to quickly intervene to stop these confrontations at any cost."
"Sudan is open to the gates of civil war"
Dr. Amani Al-Taweel, Director of the African Studies Unit at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, confirmed to TRT Arabi that there are strong possibilities for pulling Sudan towards civil war, with the increase in the frequency of clashes.
Al-Taweel denied that the temporary truce, with US intervention, would be feasible in the current circumstance, as the two conflicting parties are trying to control wider concentration points and acquire larger military concentration points so that each of them will prevail during the negotiations later, if that happens, according to her.
Al-Taweel pointed out that the current conflict in Sudan is "open to the gates of a civil war" that will spare no one, pointing out that "the political and military elite there do not have red lines regarding international interests," she said.
She said that the only possible solution is "aligning the Sudanese civil forces and uniting their political front to have a decisive role in stopping the cycle of war."
Al-Taweel agreed that the attack on civilians is one of the most dangerous scenarios presented inside Sudan, noting the monitoring of several incidents of clashes within neighborhoods and the attack on the home of a member of the Sovereign Council and the leader of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Shams al-Din al-Kabbashi, after the announcement of the gathering of professionals youth resistance committees to protect residential neighborhoods. in Khartoum.
Ramadan Qarni, editor-in-chief of the "Africa Horizons" magazine published by the State Information Service in Egypt, told TRT Arabi that what is happening inside Sudan now "is like a civil war, and it may continue for many weeks to come."
He explained that the conflict between the regular army in Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces, which rely on fanaticism and tribal affiliations, such as the Janjaweed tribe, makes this war take on the nature of street wars.
He stressed the existence of "external parties interfering in the Sudanese crisis to serve certain political and military goals," noting that the war "will continue because there have been no international or regional initiatives to stop it, despite the offer of some countries - such as Egypt and South Sudan - to mediate to settle the conflict . "
He said that the ongoing crisis in Sudan "is not born today, but arose almost two years ago, specifically in October 2021, since the beginning of the conflict between the civil forces and the military component, as the political arrangements during the past two years were not able to bridge the rift, which caused an explosion." the situation".
Foreign Policy magazine noted that it would be "difficult to defeat the RSF in their tribal homeland in Darfur, especially given their ability to mobilize soldiers from neighboring Chad," which appears with "Sudan's slide into full-scale civil war" a possibility.
A spokesman for the Sudanese army to TRT Arabic: We accepted the armistice and the Rapid Support Forces violated it
The official spokesmen for the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, the two parties to the conflict in Sudan, exchanged accusations about violating the truce and attacking civilians, accusing each other of starting the clashes, violating the truce and storming prisons.
Nabil Abdullah, the official spokesman for the Sudanese army, said that the army accepted the truce, which was brokered by the US-Saudi Arabia, and confirmed its commitment to the condition of the rebels not violating it, adding, "But after a few minutes, the rebels broke the truce and continued to make massive military movements."
He added, in exclusive statements to TRT Arabi, that the Rapid Support Forces violated the truce through indiscriminate shelling in separate areas, looting of citizens' property, presence in residential neighborhoods, and the use of citizens as human shields.
He said that the armed forces affirm their commitment to protecting the people and creating space for humanitarian aspects.
He stated, "The Rapid Support Forces are moving their military convoys on their way to Omdurman, and there are very intense military movements and a continuous lack of commitment to the armistice, and we have nothing but defense and dealing with violations."
He added that the Rapid Support Forces stormed prisons and released convicts, including its soldiers, who had been convicted of crimes.
He concluded his remarks that the armed forces did not direct their weapons at civilians, did not occupy any vital site, and did not seek to expand the circle of clashes.
In a related context, Musa Khaddam, advisor to the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, responded to the statements of the official spokesperson for the army, saying that the Rapid Support Forces are committed to the armistice and are maintaining their places and headquarters and have not attacked any party.
He accused the army, in statements to TRT Arabi, of having a political interest in getting the leaders of the former regime out of prison. He held Al-Burhan and the army forces responsible for the collapse of the security system in Sudan.
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