A summary of today's developments
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF) began exchanging fire at 9am on Saturday.
The clashes came over a dispute on the timing to integrate the RSF into the SAF as part of a power-sharing deal with the civilians who led protests against the former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
They had a two-year power-sharing deal with the army before being interrupted by a military coup in October 2021. The Sudanese people resisted and protests took place across the country. More than 100 people have been killed since then.
The Sudanese Doctors’ Union told Reuters at least 25 people were killed and 183 others injured. The group was unable to determine if all the casualities were civilians. Two people were killed at Khartoum airport, four in neighborhing Omdurman, eight in the city of Nyala, six in the city of El Obeid and five in El Fasher, the source added.
Sudan’s armed forces has dismissed any possibility of negotiations or dialogue with the country’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). There will be “no negotiations or dialogue until the dissolution of the paramilitary RSF”, the armed forces said on its Facebook page.
The Sudanese army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, told Al Jazeera in an interview that the army is in control of the presidential palace, the military headquarters and the airport.
Sudan’s former civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok posted a video on Twitter calling for de-escalation from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF). Hamdok called on the Sudanese people to stand together and reject the war and asked the international and regional community to intervene, warning that war in Sudan means war in the whole region.
The army has rejected assertions by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that they have seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and airports in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe. The situation on the ground was unclear. The RSF said the army had attacked it first, while the army said it was fighting the RSF at sites the paramilitaries said they had taken.
A Saudia plane at Sudan’s Khartoum airport came under fire during clashes on Saturday, the state-owned Saudi Arabian carrier said. It said passengers, crew and staff have moved from the airport to the Saudi embassy in Khartoum.
The chair of the African Union Commission called for an urgent ceasefire in Sudan, appealing to the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to “immediately stop the destruction of the country, the terrorization of its population, and the bloodshed during the last ten days of Ramadan”.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shared a video on Twitter they said shows Egyptian troops who have “surrendered” in Merowe, a town in northern Sudan. There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in Merowe on Saturday, but Egyptian and Sudanese troops have periodically staged joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.
An Egypt military spokesman said they are following the situation in Sudan closely and are coordinating with relevant authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, Reuters reported.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly called for an immediate stop to the ongoing violence across Sudan. “The UK calls on the Sudanese leadership to do all they can to restrain their troops and de-escalate to prevent further bloodshed,” he wrote on Twitter. “Military action will not resolve this situation.”
Chad’s government has closed its border with Sudan and called for calm. “Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace,” it said in a statement.
Egypt has expressed grave concern over the clashes in Sudan and called on all parties to exercise restraint, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the situation in Sudan was delicate but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete the transition to a civilian-led government. Speaking from Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.
The United Arab Emirates has called on all parties in Sudan to exercise restraint, de-escalate the fighting and work towards ending the crisis through dialogue, the state news agency reported.
Russia’s embassy in Sudan said it is concerned by an “escalation of violence” in the country and called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
Britain’s embassy in Sudan urged its nationals there to remain indoors and said it is closely monitoring the situation after paramilitaries said they had taken control of the presidential palace and other sites.
After the Sudanese air force told people to stay indoors while it conducted what it called an aerial survey of RSF activity, a holiday was declared in Khartoum state for Sunday, closing schools, banks and government offices.
United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres called for an immediate end to violence in Sudan, his spokesperson said on Twitter.
Clashes between the military and the country’s paramilitary force killed at least 25 people.
Guterres spoke with leaders of Sudan’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Egypt’s president and the chair of the African Union Commission, the spokesperson said.
I condemn the outbreak of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces & the Sudanese Armed Forces in Sudan.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) April 15, 2023
I’m engaging with the AU and leaders in the region & reaffirm the commitment of the @UN to support the people of Sudan in their efforts to restore a democratic transition.
General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, commander of Sudan’s military, told the Al Jazeera channel that RSF troops first “harassed” the military south of Khartoum, triggering the clashes.
Burhan accused the RSF of entering Khartoum airport and setting fire to some planes, the AP agency reports.
He also said all strategic facilities including the military’s headquarters and the Republican palace, the seat of Sudan’s presidency, are under his forces’ control. He threatened to deploy more troops to Khartoum from across the county.
The head of the RSF, Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, accused Burhan of starting the battle by surrounding RSF troops. “This criminal, he forced this battle upon us,” he said.
Dagalo told Al Jazeera that he believes that in “the next few days” it would be over.
As night fell, residents said they still heard the sounds of gunfire and explosions in different parts of Khartoum, including around the military’s headquarters and other bases.
Residents described chaotic scenes. “Fire and explosions are everywhere,” Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman told the AP agency.
“All are running and seeking shelter.”
“We haven’t seen such battles in Khartoum before,” said Khartoum resident Abdel-Hamid Mustafa.
Updated
At least 25 people killed and 183 injured
At least 25 people were killed and 183 others injured in ongoing clashes across Sudan, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union told Reuters.
The group was unable to determine if all the casualities were civilians.
Two people were killed at Khartoum airport, four in neighborhing Omdurman, eight in the city of Nyala, six in the city of El Obeid and five in El Fasher, the source added.
Sudanese air force called on citizens to stay indoors as they conduct a full aerial survey of areas of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) activity, a statement on the armed forces Facebook page said.
One eyewitness told Reuters late on Saturday they could hear sounds of explosions in the vicinity of the airport in central Khartoum as violence erupted between Sudan’s main paramilitary group and the armed forces in an apparent struggle for control against the backdrop of the country’s halting moves toward elections after a military coup, Reuters reports.
The head of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said his forces were ready to cooperate with Egypt to ease the return of Egyptian troops who had handed themselves over to the group in the northern Sudanese town of Merowe.
After clashes erupted across Sudan between the RSF and the army, the RSF shared a video they said showed Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, about halfway between the Sudanese capital Khartoum and its border with Egypt. Egypt’s military said Egyptian forces were in Sudan to conduct exercises with their Sudanese counterparts, and that it was coordinating with Sudanese authorities to guarantee their safety.
The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking to members of the RSF, Sudan’s main paramilitary group, in an Egyptian Arabic dialect.
RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, told Sky News Arabia TV that the Egyptian soldiers were safe, and that the RSF had provided them with food and water and was ready to facilitate their return.
Updated
Sudan was plunged into a long-feared violent crisis on Saturday as a bitter struggle for power appeared to break out between the two main factions of the ruling military regime.
At least five people were reported to have been killed in Khartoum, the capital of the vast and strategic east African country, on Saturday and more in northern Darfur state during heavy fighting between Sudan armed forces, the regular military, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Force (RSF), according to Sudan Doctor’s Committee, a local NGO. The death toll is expected to rise.
The fighting threatens to destabilise not just Sudan but much of the region, as well as exacerbating a battle for influence that involves major Gulf powers as well as the US, EU and Russia. Sudanese armed forces, are broadly loyal to Abdulfatah al-Burhan, the current de facto ruler of Sudan, while the RSF, a collection of militia follow the controversial former warlord Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti.
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Sudan army says no dialogue with RSF before its dissolution
Sudan’s armed forces has dismissed any possibility of negotiations or dialogue with the country’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
There will be “no negotiations or dialogue until the dissolution of the paramilitary RSF”, the armed forces said on its Facebook page.
“Shooting is still ongoing and people are staying indoors - there is so much panic and fear,” an eyewitness told the BBC via her Kenya-based sister.
She added that residents in Khartoum had not been expecting the clashes and many had been caught in transit with bridges and roads closed and many schools in lockdown.
The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States held a phone call on Saturday to discuss the ongoing situation in Sudan, Saudi’s state news agency said.
The ministers called for a halt to military escalation and a return to a framework agreement between civilian political forces and the military in Sudan, Reuters reports.
Egypt’s military is closely following the situation in Sudan and is coordinating with the relevant Sudanese authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, army spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez said.
His statement came as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shared a video that they said showed Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan, in the wake of clashes between the group and the Sudanese army.
Closing summary
It’s approaching 7pm in Khartoum, here’s where things stand:
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF) have been exchanging fire since 9am on Saturday. At least three civilians have been killed, according to the Sudan Doctors’ Committee.
The clashes came over a dispute on the timing to integrate the RSF into the SAF as part of a power-sharing deal with the civilians who led protests against the former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
They had a two-year power-sharing deal with the army before being interrupted by a military coup in October 2021. The Sudanese people resisted and protests took place across the country. More than 100 people have been killed since then.
Saturday’s clashes spread across the country in north, west and south Darfur, where the RSF has a strong presence.
The Sudan Doctors’ Committee said two civilians were killed at the country’s airport and another man was shot dead in the state of North Kordofan. The group did not specify how the two people had died at the airport but said dozens more were injured around the country, with some in unstable condition.
The Sudanese army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, told Al Jazeera in an interview that the army is in control of the presidential palace, the military headquarters and the airport.
Sudan’s former civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok posted a video on Twitter calling for de-escalation from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF). Hamdok called on the Sudanese people to stand together and reject the war and asked the international and regional community to intervene, warning that war in Sudan means war in the whole region.
The army has rejected assertions by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that they have seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and airports in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe. The situation on the ground was unclear. The RSF said the army had attacked it first, while the army said it was fighting the RSF at sites the paramilitaries said they had taken.
A Saudia plane at Sudan’s Khartoum airport came under fire during clashes on Saturday, the state-owned Saudi Arabian carrier said. It said passengers, crew and staff have moved from the airport to the Saudi embassy in Khartoum.
The chair of the African Union Commission called for an urgent ceasefire in Sudan, appealing to the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to “immediately stop the destruction of the country, the terrorization of its population, and the bloodshed during the last ten days of Ramadan”.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shared a video on Twitter they said shows Egyptian troops who have “surrendered” in Merowe, a town in northern Sudan. There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in Merowe on Saturday, but Egyptian and Sudanese troops have periodically staged joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.
An Egypt military spokesman said they are following the situation in Sudan closely and are coordinating with relevant authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, Reuters reported.
Foreign secretary James Cleverly called for an immediate stop to the ongoing violence across Sudan. “The UK calls on the Sudanese leadership to do all they can to restrain their troops and de-escalate to prevent further bloodshed,” he wrote on Twitter. “Military action will not resolve this situation.”
Chad’s government has closed its border with Sudan and called for calm. “Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace,” it said in a statement.
Egypt has expressed grave concern over the clashes in Sudan and called on all parties to exercise restraint, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said the situation in Sudan was delicate but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete the transition to a civilian-led government. Speaking from Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.
The United Arab Emirates has called on all parties in Sudan to exercise restraint, de-escalate the fighting and work towards ending the crisis through dialogue, the state news agency reported.
Russia’s embassy in Sudan said it is concerned by an “escalation of violence” in the country and called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
Britain’s embassy in Sudan urged its nationals there to remain indoors and said it is closely monitoring the situation after paramilitaries said they had taken control of the presidential palace and other sites.
Updated
WHO HAS BEEN IN CHARGE IN SUDAN?
Sudan began its halting transition towards democracy after military generals ousted long-ruling autocrat Omar al-Bashir amid a popular uprising in April 2019. Bashir, an Islamist long shunned by the West, had presided over the country for nearly three decades.
Under an August 2019 agreement, the military agreed to share power with civilians ahead of elections. That arrangement was abruptly halted by a 2021 coup, which triggered a new campaign of mass pro-democracy rallies across Sudan.
WHERE DOES THE BALANCE OF POWER LIE?
The military has been a dominant force in Sudan since independence in 1956, staging coups, fighting internal wars, and amassing economic holdings.
During the 2019-21 power-sharing arrangement, distrust between the military and civilian parties ran deep.
The civilian side drew legitimacy from a resilient protest movement and support from parts of the international community.
The military had internal backing from rebel factions that benefited from a 2020 peace deal and from veterans of Bashir’s government who returned to the civil service following the coup.
The coup put the army back in charge, but it faced weekly demonstrations, renewed isolation and deepening economic woes.
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and deputy leader of Sudan’s ruling council since 2019, swung behind the plan for a new transition, bringing tensions with ruling council head and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to the surface. Dagalo is better known as Hemedti.
WHAT ARE THE FAULTLINES?
A central cause of tension since the uprising is a civilian demand to gain oversight of the military and to see the integration of the powerful RSF into the regular army.
Civilians have also called for the handover of lucrative military holdings in agriculture, trade, and other industries, a crucial source of power for an army that has often outsourced military action to regional militias.
Another point of contention is the pursuit of justice over allegations of war crimes by the military and its allies in the conflict in Darfur from 2003. The International Criminal Court (ICC) is seeking trials for Bashir and other Sudanese suspects.
Justice is also being sought over the killings of pro-democracy protesters on June 3, 2019, in which military forces are implicated. Activists and civilian groups have been angered by delays to an official investigation. In addition, they want justice for at least 125 people killed by security forces in protests since the 2021 coup.
WHAT ABOUT THE ECONOMY?
A worsening economic crisis that sent the currency plunging and created frequent shortages of bread and fuel was a key trigger for Bashir’s downfall.
The 2019-21 transitional government implemented tough, rapid reforms monitored by the International Monetary Fund in a successful bid for debt relief and to attract foreign financing.
But billions of dollars in international support and debt relief were frozen after the 2021 coup, halting development projects, straining the national budget, and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
WHAT’S THE REGIONAL PICTURE?
Sudan is in a volatile region, bordering the Red Sea, the Sahel, and the Horn of Africa. Its strategic location and agricultural wealth have attracted regional power plays, complicating the chances of a successful transition.
Several of Sudan’s neighbours, including Ethiopia, Chad and South Sudan, have been affected by political upheavals and conflict. Sudan’s relationship with Ethiopia in particular has been strained over disputed farmland along their border, over conflict in the Tigray region that drove tens of thousands of refugees into Sudan, and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Regional heavyweights Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have seen Sudan’s transition as a way of pushing back against Islamist influence in the region. They, along with the United States and Britain, form the “Quad”, which has sponsored mediation in Sudan along with the United Nations and African Union. Western powers fear the potential for a Russian base on the Red Sea, which Sudanese military leaders have expressed openness to.
Egypt, which has deep historical ties with Sudan and a close relationship with its military, has pursued an alternative track with groups that supported the 2021 coup.
Updated
African Union Commission head calls for urgent ceasefire
The chair of the African Union Commission has called for an urgent ceasefire in Sudan, appealing to the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to “immediately stop the destruction of the country, the terrorization of its population, and the bloodshed during the last ten days of Ramadan”.
In a translated statement published online Musa Faki Mahamat called the moment “delicate and extremely dangerous”. Mahamat called on the international community to redouble efforts and “force the two parties to immediately cease fire and sit around the negotiating table”.
The army has rejected assertions by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that they have seized the presidential palace, the army chief’s residence and airports in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe, Reuters reports.
Sudanese army chief general Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan’s comments to Al Jazeera TV followed a live phone interview the station aired with the commander of the RSF, who said his forces had seized the strategic sites.
The situation on the ground was unclear. The RSF said the army had attacked it first, while the army said it was fighting the RSF at sites the paramilitaries said they had taken.
A major confrontation between the RSF and the army could plunge Sudan into widespread conflict as it struggles with economic breakdown and tribal violence, and could also derail efforts to move towards elections.
The clashes follow rising tensions between the army and the RSF over the RSF’s integration into the military. The disagreement has delayed the signing an internationally backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy.
Civilian forces that signed a draft version of that agreement in December called on Saturday for an immediate halt to hostilities by both the army and the RSF, to stop Sudan sliding towards “the precipice of total collapse”.
Updated
Foreign secretary James Cleverly has called for an immediate stop to the ongoing violence across Sudan.
“The UK calls on the Sudanese leadership to do all they can to restrain their troops and de-escalate to prevent further bloodshed,” he wrote on Twitter.
“Military action will not resolve this situation.”
The ongoing violence across Sudan must stop immediately.
— James Cleverly🇬🇧 (@JamesCleverly) April 15, 2023
The UK calls on the Sudanese leadership to do all they can to restrain their troops and deescalate to prevent further bloodshed.
Military action will not resolve this situation.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have shared a video on Twitter they said shows Egyptian troops who have “surrendered” in Merowe, a town in northern Sudan.
This occurred as clashes erupted between the RSF, Sudan’s main paramilitary group, and the army on Saturday.
There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in Merowe on Saturday, but Egyptian and Sudanese troops have periodically staged joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.
The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking in an Egyptian Arabic dialect to troops in RSF uniforms.
A mobilisation of RSF forces towards Merowe military airport on Wednesday prompted an army statement on Thursday that described recent RSF moves as illegal. It said they went beyond the force’s duties, bringing long-bubbling disagreements to the surface.
كتيبه من الجيش والقوات المصرية تسلم نفسها لقوات الدعم السريع بمروي⭕
— Rapid Support Forces - قوات الدعم السريع (@RSFSudan) April 15, 2023
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ#قوات_الدعم_السريع#جاهزية_سرعة_حسم pic.twitter.com/3t4oNoCpPg
The footage has not been independently verified.
Earlier, Egypt’s foreign ministry expressed grave concern over the clashes in Sudan and called on all parties to exercise restraint.
Updated
“This is the worst-case scenario,” Suliman Baldo, the director of the Sudan Transparency and Policy Tracker (STPT), told Al Jazeera on Saturday.
Baldo said the situation is not isolated to Khartoum, but is unfolding in the northern city of Merowe and elsewhere.
“This is a struggle for power between the top commanders of the army and of the RSF,” Baldo told Al Jazeera, adding that the underlying cause for the tension is the competing ambitions and economic interests of the two parties.
Updated
A Saudia plane at Sudan’s Khartoum airport came under fire during clashes on Saturday, the state-owned Saudi Arabian carrier said.
It said passengers, crew and staff have moved from the airport to the Saudi embassy in Khartoum.
Updated
During a live TV broadcast, a news anchor was reporting on the military clashes in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum when loud bangs were heard in the background.
The broadcast, from a studio in Omdurman, in the north-west of the capital, was quickly taken off air. It is unclear what happened next.
Updated
Chad closes border with Sudan
Chad’s government has closed its border with Sudan and called for calm amid an apparent coup attempt in Khartoum by Sudan’s main paramilitary group.
“Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace,” it said in a statement.
Its 872 mile border with Sudan will remain closed until further notice, it said.
Updated
Sudan’s former civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok has posted a video on Twitter calling for de-escalation from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF).
Hamdok called on the Sudanese people to stand together and reject the war and asked the international and regional community to intervene, warning that war in Sudan means war in the whole region.
نداء من د.عبد الله حمدوك pic.twitter.com/7aeESeaa9s
— Abdalla Hamdok (@SudanPMHamdok) April 15, 2023
Hamdok announced his resignation in January 2022 amid political deadlock and widespread pro-democracy protests following a military coup that derailed the country’s fragile transition to democratic rule.
He was reinstated as prime minister in November 2021 as part of an agreement with the military after being ousted in the October 2021 coup.
Updated
Here are the latest images emerging from Khartoum:
Egypt has expressed grave concern over the clashes in Sudan and called on all parties to exercise restraint, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.
Updated
What we know so far
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan armed forces (SAF) have been exchanging fire since 9am on Saturday. At least three civilians have been killed, according the Sudan Doctors’ Committee.
The clashes came over a dispute on the timing to integrate the RSF into the SAF as part of a power-sharing deal with the civilians who led protests against the former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
They had a two-year power-sharing deal with the army before being interrupted by a military coup in October 2021. The Sudanese people resisted and protests took place across the country. More than 100 people have been killed since then.
Saturday’s clashes spread across the country in north, west and south Darfur, where the RSF has a strong presence.
The RSF was founded by a law introduced in 2013 by Bashir and had been used to fight as the “janjaweed” militas in Darfur.
The RSF claims it has captured the Merowe airport and other strategic locations.
Media reports are saying that 45 solders from the army were injured at the battle of Merowe airport on Saturday morning.
Updated
The Sudanese army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, has told Al Jazeera in an interview that the army is in control of the presidential palace, the military headquarters and the airport.
Updated
The United Arab Emirates has called on all parties in Sudan to exercise restraint, de-escalate the fighting and work towards ending the crisis through dialogue, the state news agency reported.
The agency said the UAE embassy in Khartoum was following “with great concern the developments in Sudan and has reaffirmed the UAE’s position on the importance of de-escalation, and working towards finding a peaceful solution to the crisis between the concerned parties”.
Updated
At least three civilians have died in clashes between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan, a Sudanese doctors’ group has said.
Heavy gunfire was heard in the capital Khartoum, on Saturday as fighting erupted between the Sudanese army and the RSF following days of tensions between the two forces.
The RSF claimed it had gained control of Khartoum international airport, Merowe airport, al-Obeid airport and the presidential palace, after an attack on its military base in south Khartoum at about 9am on Saturday.
Read more from Zeinab Mohammed Salih reporting from Khartoum:
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said he is “deeply concerned” about reports of escalating violence between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
“We are in touch with the embassy team in Khartoum – all are currently accounted for. We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and continue talks to resolve outstanding issues,” he wrote on Twitter.
Updated
Heavy gunfire was heard in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, on Saturday as clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF said it had taken control of the presidential palace, the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport, following days of tensions between the army and the RSF.
Updated
Who are the Rapid Support Forces and how did we get here?
The RSF is commanded by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who currently holds the position of deputy head of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, and is commonly known as Hemedti. Analysts estimate the force numbers about 100,000, with bases and deployments across the country.
It evolved from “janjaweed” militias that fought in a conflict in the 2000s in the Darfur region, where they were used by the government of long-ruling President Omar al-Bashir to help the army put down a rebellion. An estimated 2.5 million people were displaced and 300,000 killed in the conflict. International criminal court prosecutors accused government officials and janjaweed commanders of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Over time the forces grew, and were used as border guards in particular to clamp down on irregular migration. In tandem, Hemedti’s business interests grew with help from Bashir, and his family expanded holdings in gold mining, livestock and infrastructure.
Beginning in 2015, the RSF, along with Sudan’s army, began sending troops to fight in the war in Yemen alongside Saudi and Emirati troops, allowing Hemedti to forge ties with the Gulf powers.
In 2017, a law legitimising the RSF as an independent security force was passed. Military sources said the army’s leadership had long expressed concerns about the development of Hemedti’s forces.
In April 2019, the RSF participated in a military coup that ousted Bashir. Later that year Hemedti signed a power-sharing agreement that made him deputy of a ruling council headed by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
Before the signing in 2019, activists accused the RSF of participating in killing dozens of pro-democracy protesters. Rights groups have also accused RSF soldiers of tribal violence. Hemedti removed immunity from some, allowing for their prosecution. Last year he apologised for crimes by the state against the Sudanese people.
The RSF participated in a coup in October 2021 that halted the transition to elections. Hemedti has since said he regrets the coup and has expressed approval for a new deal to restore full civilian government.
The Sudanese army as well as pro-democracy groups have demanded the RSF’s integration into the regular armed forces.
Negotiations on this have been a source of tension that has delayed a final signing of a deal, originally scheduled for 1 April, for a new government and a transition towards elections.
Updated
At least three killed and dozens injured, says doctors' group
So far, at least three people have been killed and dozens more injured in the clashes between the country’s army and powerful paramilitary, according to a doctors’ group in the country.
The fighting comes after months of escalating tensions between the generals, and years of political unrest after an October 2021 military coup.
In a statement reported by Reuters, the Sudan Doctors’ Committee said two civilians were killed at the country’s airport and another man was shot dead in the state of North Kordofan.
The statement did not specify how the two people had died at the airport, which was a flashpoint in the violence, with the two forces battling to control it.
The group said dozens more were injured around the country, with some in an unstable condition.
The clashes began on Saturday morning, with both sides blaming the other for initiating the violence.
Updated
Russia’s foreign ministry has said it is deeply concerned by escalating violence and called for an urgent ceasefire.
We urge the parties to the conflict to demonstrate political will and restraint and to take immediate steps towards a ceasefire.
Russia said its embassy in Khartoum was continuing to function under heightened security measures. No Russian citizens were hurt during clashes, it added.
Updated
Reuters reports that the spokesman for the Sudanese armed forces has told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV station that the army would respond to any “irresponsible” actions, as its forces clash with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in several parts of Khartoum and the country.
Brig Gen Nabil Abdallah said some politicians had been trying to politicise the military.
He also said that RSF troops had a heavy presence at the headquarters of the state TV station.
Updated
What we know so far
Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces says it has gained control of Khartoum international airport, Merowe airport, al-Obeid airport and the presidential palace, after an attack on its military base in south Khartoum at about 9am local time today.
Khartoum airport has shut down, with clips circulated on social media showing the RSF storming the airport.
The Sudan air force has been flying over Khartoum peninsula (Omdurman, Khartoum North and Khartoum City) and the Sudanese armed forces issued a statement saying it was using the air force to “stop the irresponsible behaviour of the RSF”.
Heavy gunfire could be heard in parts of Darfur, in West Darfur State, Geneina and in North Darfur’s El Fasher.
The tensions came to the surface on Thursday when the RSF sent troops with more than 200 vehicles to surround Merowe airport in the north, where an Egyptian military base is located. The army said the movements by the RSF had been made without coordination and were illegal.
A statement by the RSF on Saturday called the army’s actions a “brute assault” and called for it to be condemned. It said the RSF had been in contact with local and international mediators to inform them.
The dispute between the two forces began during power-sharing negotiations with the civilian forces to restore a western-backed civilian-led government. The army insisted the RSF should integrate into the army within two years, while the RSF is suggesting it should be within 10 years.
Updated
Airlines suspend flights to Sudan
Some updates from airlines that have regular flights to and from Sudan:
State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines said one of its aircraft had “had an accident” at Khartoum international airport before its scheduled departure to Riyadh today.
It did not provide further details, but said in a statement that its flights to and from Sudan had been suspended until further notice.
Egypt’s national airline, EgyptAir, said it was suspending flights to and from Khartoum for 72 hours.
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The UN’s special representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, said he strongly condemned the eruption of fighting in the country.
Perthes said he has “has reached out to both parties asking them for an immediate cessation of fighting to ensure the safety of the Sudanese people and to spare the country from further violence”.
'We feel extremely unsafe' - Khartoum residents fearful amid fighting
Eissa Zain, 37, told the Guardian that while asleep at home in Khartoum’s Daim neighbourhood “something very hard hit the wall and I thought the fan had fallen down but it turned out to be an RPG [weapon].
We ran out of the house and the streets were full of people, but then everyone went inside their houses.
Osman Ali, a resident of Omdurman who works as a market vendor, added:
We feel extremely unsafe now, the leaders are fighting there but the problem is, who is going to protect us from looting or if any armed people stormed into the neighbourhoods?
Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign affairs representative, has called for an immediate pause to the fighting:
Alarming news of fighting in #Sudan. The EU calls on all forces to stop the violence immediately.
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) April 15, 2023
An escalation will only aggravate the situation. Protection of citizens is a priority.
All EU staff in the country is safe and accounted for.
Here are some of the latest images coming through on the wires from Khartoum:
Situation in Sudan fragile, says US, as embassy staff take shelter
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said earlier today the situation in Sudan was delicate but insisted there was still an opportunity to complete the transition to a civilian-led government.
Speaking from Hanoi, Blinken said the situation was “fragile” as some actors “may be pushing against that progress”.
The US ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, said he and embassy staff had been forced to take shelter.
He said the escalation of tensions to direct fighting was “extremely dangerous” and he called urgently on the senior leadership to stop the clashes.
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Russia’s embassy in Sudan, meanwhile, has said it is concerned by an “escalation of violence” in the country and called for a ceasefire and negotiations.
According to the state-owned Russian news agency RIA, the embassy said the atmosphere in Khartoum was tense but Russian diplomats were safe.
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UK embassy in Sudan warns citizens to stay indoors
Britain’s embassy in Sudan is urging its nationals there to remain indoors and said it is closely monitoring the situation after paramilitaries said they had taken control of the presidential palace and other sites.
We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes.
We advise all British nationals in Sudan to remain indoors and follow our travel advice for more updates.
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Fighting in Sudan intensifies with heavy gunfire heard
Heavy gunfire has been heard in the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, as clashes erupt between the Sudanese army and its paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF said it had taken control of the presidential palace, the residence of the army chief and Khartoum international airport.
Video footage showed military planes flying over the city while smoke has been seen rising from buildings near the airport.
A Reuters witness said they saw armoured vehicles deployed in streets, and heard the sound of heavy weaponry in the vicinity of the headquarters of the army and the RSF.
The conflict follows days of tension between the army and the powerful RSF, which raised concerns about a confrontation.
The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday, when the army said recent movements by the RSF had been made without coordination and were illegal.
A statement by the RSF on Saturday called the army’s actions a “brute assault” and called for it to be condemned. It said the RSF had been in contact with local and international mediators to inform them.
A confrontation between the two forces could bring prolonged strife across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence.
We’ll bring you live updates on a rapidly developing situation.
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