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Radio France Internationale
Radio France Internationale
World
Paul Myers

Thousands flee fighting in Sudan as humanitarian aid arrives

Thousands have decided to flee the fighting in Sudan as humanitarian aid agencies try to bring in medical supplies for hospitals. REUTERS - MOHAMMED BENMANSOUR

A plane laden with humanitarian aid on Sunday landed in Sudan, where deadly clashes between the forces of rival generals have raged for just over two weeks.

The aircraft took off from the Jordanian capital Amman and arrived in the eastern city of Port Sudan bearing eight tonnes of cargo including surgical material to support Sudanese hospitals and volunteers from the Sudan Red Crescent Society, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said.

Fighting erupted on 15 April between troops loyal to General Abdel-Fattah Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo in a dispute over the RSF's integration into the military as part of the transition towards civilian rule.

Neither side has managed to land a decisive blow as the death toll has risen, according to the country's health ministry, to 528 people.

Thousands of civilians have been wounded in the clashes and thousands have left their homes.

Hassan Faraz, who was waiting in Port Sudan to board a ship headed for Saudi Arabia, told Reuters news agency: "I was hoping that while I’m here things would be resolved and that there would be some kind of reconciliation, or some kind of peace settlement.

"Unfortunately that is not in the near future, it doesn’t seem like this."

Faraz added: "I’m hopeful for Sudan. It is an amazing country, beautiful people, a lot of potential there, and I hope I can contribute to it no matter where I am in the world."

Scenes

Bodies have remained in the streets in the capital Khartoum, said the ICRC on Sunday.

Patrick Youssef, the ICRC's Africa regional director said that the Sudanese Red Crescent was trying to clear away the corpses.

Mediators from across the world have struggled to persuade either side to observe ceasefires.

A bloc of east African nations put forward a initiative for the two sides to hold talks.

Burhan on Friday ruled out negotiations with Dagalo, accusing him of orchestrating a rebellion against the state.

"Dagalo wants to rule Sudan, seize its resources and magnify his wealth,” Burhan said in an interview with US-funded Alhurra TV, denying that he wants power for himself.

Both Burhan and Dagalo have been involved in crushing pro-democracy activists and together they pushed out civilians from an interim government in a coup in 2021.

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