Fighting rages in several cities in Sudan on Monday morning. It is the third day in a row of fighting between the government forces and the paramilitary group RSF. Sudan’s medical association reports that so far at least 97 civilians have been killed and 365 wounded. Reuters reports that for two hours on Monday morning there were both airstrikes and artillery fire in the capital, Khartoum. Then the airstrikes stopped, while explosions from artillery shells could still be heard. According to Reuters, it is the first time in decades that there have been fierce battles in the capital. Government forces control the air force, which they use to attack rebel bases. The fighting is also raging in several places in the north and west of the country. Civilians suffer the most during the fighting. Here are people with their belongings fleeing from the fighting in the capital Khartoum on Sunday. Photo: – / AFP Difficult for civilians In Khartoum, the army and the RSF control different areas. The situation is chaotic. It makes it difficult for civilians to know where it is safe. – There is so much false information and everyone lies. We don’t know when or how this will end, says a young woman, Huda, to Reuters. She talks about the lack of everything they need to survive. – We are scared. We haven’t slept in 24 hours because of the noise. The house shakes. We are afraid of running out of water and food and medicine for my father, who has diabetes, says Huda. Two planes on fire at the international airport in Khartoum on Sunday. Photo: AP The UN has stopped work On Sunday, the UN Food Program (WFP) stopped its work in Sudan. It happened after three of WFP’s employees were killed on Saturday. In addition, a UN plane was hit during clashes at the airport in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. WFP is very important for Sudan: They write that almost a third of the country’s 46.8 million inhabitants live under insecurity when it comes to whether they get food. Government forces in Port Sudan on Sunday. Pickups with machine guns on the cargo floor are among the common weapons in Sudan. Photo: – / AFP Two generals The fighting in Sudan started on Saturday morning after Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, called “Hemedti”, accused army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of an attempted coup. The two have a long bloody and shared history. Both were involved in the Darfur conflict of the 2000s. Over 300,000 people were killed in Darfur in what has been described as the first genocide of the 21st century. Hemedti led what was then called the Janjaweed militia. It was the group responsible for the worst mass murders. Army chief al-Burhan was also active in Darfur when the genocide took place, writes Al Jazeera. Facts about the paramilitary group RSF This is the paramilitary group RSF which has been in fierce battles with government forces in Sudan since Saturday. A paramilitary group that was founded in August 2013 and fought on behalf of Sudan in Darfur. Is accused of several war crimes in Darfur, including the murder and rape of civilians and the burning of civilian houses. According to Human Rights Watch, RSF’s actions in Darfur qualify as crimes against humanity. Has been a supporter of the military junta that has seized power in the country, and negotiations were underway for the group to be incorporated into the regular army. The group’s Arabic name can be directly translated to Rapid Support Forces, or as they are called in English: Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The group is led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, called Hemedti. The group has also fought in Libya and Yemen. Hemedti is now one of the richest people in Sudan after taking control of gold mines in Darfur, which he is accused of using the RSF to do. Source: Wikipedia, HRW. Overthrew the regime After the conflict in Darfur was over, the Janjaweed militia was transformed into a paramilitary force (RSF) under Hemedti’s leadership. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, for his part, was made army chief in 2018. The two were central when the army overthrew Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president for 30 years, in a military coup in April 2019. After the coup, it was decided that the RSF and the army would merge. That merger has not been easy and is behind many of the matches today. Facts about the unrest in Sudan since 2019 April 11, 2019: Omar al-Bashir, Sudan’s president for 30 years, is removed in a military coup. It comes after several months of demonstrations in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum. October 25, 2021: Another military coup leads to the arrest of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and several other civilian members of the transitional government installed in 2019. A state of emergency is introduced, several demonstrators are killed by the military, and the international community stops a lot of aid to Sudan. November 11: The African Union (AU) suspends Sudan as a member. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan forms a new military junta. November 21: Burhan agrees to reinstate a transitional government with Hamdok as prime minister. Several civilian leaders are released, and a plan is introduced to hold elections in July 2023. However, Hamdok resigns as early as January 2022. July 4, 2022: Burhan says the army is withdrawing from UN-led negotiations, allowing civilian groups to form a government . The announcement is met with skepticism from all quarters. December 5: Sudan’s military, paramilitary and many civilian leaders sign a preliminary agreement on a civilian transfer of power within two years. Protesters complain that the agreement does not contribute to justice for more than 120 pro-democracy activists who were killed in the aftermath of the coup in October 2021. April 13, 2023: Tensions rise between the army and the paramilitary group RSF. The plan is for the RSF to be integrated into the regular army, but when Burhan’s second-in-command Mohamed Hamdan Daglo calls the 2021 coup a blunder that has revived the remnants of Bashir’s regime, it leads to a full-blown crisis. The signing of a final agreement on transition to democracy is postponed twice. The army warns that Sudan is at a dangerous tipping point. April 15: Shooting and explosions erupt in Khartoum. The RSF and the army accuse each other of starting the fighting. The RSF says it controls the airport and the presidential palace, the army insists it is still in control and in power. Fighting also breaks out in Darfur, where three employees of the UN Food Program (WFP) are killed. 16 April: WFP temporarily suspends all operations in Sudan. At least 56 civilians and dozens of soldiers have been killed, according to the country’s medical association. Civilian leaders, the African Union (AU), the UN and several others are calling for an immediate ceasefire. The army and the RSF agree to open a humanitarian corridor for several hours, but this does not seem to ease the shootings in Khartoum. (NTB) Gold and the Wagner group Hemedti is one of the richest people in Sudan after taking control of gold mines in Darfur. He will annually fly NOK 140 billion worth of gold to Dubai. The gold has given RSF its own finances, which has made them independent of the state. RSF has also collaborated with the infamous Russian Wagner Group, writes DR. Smoke rises from a building in Khartoum after an attack on Sunday. Photo: – / AFP The international community gets involved After the fighting started on Saturday, many fear that it will develop into a full civil war. The United Nations, the United States, Great Britain, Germany and a number of other countries have all called for a ceasefire. Despite the calls, it may appear that a peaceful solution is a long way off. – al-Burhan will either be brought to justice or die like a dog, Hemedti told Al Jazeera on Saturday.
ttn-69
Genocide-involved generals in bloody power struggle in Sudan – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
