Sudan: Escalating Clashes and Humanitarian Crisis in Khartoum

Witnesses in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, have reported an escalation in clashes, artillery shelling, and air strikes as the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces enters its eleventh week. This ongoing conflict has resulted in the displacement of 2.5 million people and has caused a severe humanitarian crisis.

The violence has also intensified in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region, in recent days. The United Nations has raised concerns about the ethnic targeting and killing of members of the Masalit community in El Geneina, West Darfur state.

The Sudanese capital and El Geneina have been the most affected by the conflict that erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces. However, tensions and clashes have escalated in other parts of Darfur and in Kordofan, in the south of the country.

Hostilities have increased since both sides violated a series of ceasefires agreed upon in Jeddah after talks led by the United States and Saudi Arabia. These talks were postponed last week.

Residents in Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman, the three cities that make up the greater metropolitan area, have reported fierce fighting that broke out last night and continued until this morning. The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been using air strikes and heavy artillery in an attempt to expel the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, from the neighborhoods of Khartoum.

Muhammad Al-Samani, a resident of northern Omdurman, expressed his frustration, stating, “We have been suffering from air strikes, artillery shelling, and anti-aircraft fire from the Rapid Support Forces since early morning. Where are the Jeddah talks? Why did we let the world die alone in the ongoing war between Al-Burhan and Hamidati?”

Witnesses have also reported a significant deterioration in the security situation in Nyala, with violent clashes erupting in residential neighborhoods. Last week, fighting broke out between the army and the Rapid Support Forces around El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, which has become inaccessible to aid workers according to the United Nations.

In El Geneina, where communication networks and aid supplies have been severely disrupted in recent weeks, attacks by Arab militias and the Rapid Support Forces have forced tens of thousands of people to flee across the border into Chad.

Ravina Shamdasani, spokeswoman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called for the creation of a safe corridor for those fleeing El Geneina and for aid workers to reach the area. Reports of summary executions and the spread of hate speech, including calls for killing or expelling the Masalit, have raised concerns about the situation.

The conflict in Sudan has resulted in approximately two million internally displaced people and nearly 600,000 refugees fleeing to neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.

As the crisis continues to escalate, an expected truce offers a glimmer of hope for a reduction in violence and the possibility of addressing the humanitarian crisis. However, the situation remains volatile, and the international community must work together to find a lasting solution to the conflict in Sudan.

What factors have contributed to the escalation in clashes, artillery shelling, and air strikes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan

Witnesses in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, have reported an escalation in clashes, artillery shelling, and air strikes as the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces enters its eleventh week. This ongoing conflict has resulted in the displacement of 2.5 million people and has caused a severe humanitarian crisis.

The violence has also intensified in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region, in recent days. Concerns have been raised by the United Nations about the ethnic targeting and killing of members of the Masalit community in El Geneina, West Darfur state.

The conflict, which erupted on April 15 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, has heavily impacted the Sudanese capital and El Geneina. However, tensions and clashes have escalated in other parts of Darfur and Kordofan, in the south of the country.

Hostilities have increased since both sides violated a series of ceasefires that were agreed upon in Jeddah after talks led by the United States and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately, these talks were postponed last week.

Residents in Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman, the three cities that make up the greater metropolitan area, have reported fierce fighting that occurred last night and continued until this morning. The army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has been utilizing air strikes and heavy artillery in an attempt to expel the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hem.