The Sudanese paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) say they have taken control of the Presidential Palace, as tensions between the force and the army erupted into violence.
Fierce clashes between Sudan’s military and the country’s powerful paramilitary force erupted on Saturday in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation, raising fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken country.
Heavy fighting has been reported around the Presidential Palace and Army Headquarters in the capital Khartoum, witnesses told CNN.
A Reuters journalist saw cannon and armoured vehicles deployed in streets, and heard the sound of heavy weapons fire near the headquarters of both the army and RSF.
In a statement, the RSF also claimed control of airports in Khartoum, Marwa and al-Abiad. Flights have been suspended inbound and outbound from the airport in Khartoum.
Commercial aircraft trying to land at Khartoum International Airport began turning around to head back to their originating airport. Flights from Saudi Arabia turned back after nearly landing at the airport, flight tracking data showed Saturday.
A military official told the AP that fighter jets took off from a military base north of Omdurman and attacked the RSF’s positions in and around Khartoum. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to brief the media.
The RSF said they were responding to the surprise attack from the army on one of their bases.
Sudan’s Armed Forces Command said in a statement that it was fighting the RSF in Khartoum, accusing the group of “traitorous plotting” against the country.
Read Related Also: Rory McIlroy slams James Hahn for missing PGA Tour players meeting: ‘Slap in the face’
The US ambassador to Sudan said he was sheltering amid the clashes in the capital.
“I just arrived late last night in Khartoum and woke up to the deeply disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting,” Ambassador John Godfrey said in a tweet.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the situation in Khartoum is “fragile” when asked by a reporter to comment during a presser in Vietnam.
“The major parties in Khartoum, some weeks ago reached a very important framework agreement on how to proceed with a transition to civilian government. And there’s been real progress in trying to move that forward,” Blinken said on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia says it is “deeply concerned” about the escalation of violence in Khartoum, calling for peace talks in a statement released by it’s foreign ministry, Reuters reports.
Meanwhile, the British embassy has warned all UK nationals in the captial city to “remain indoors”.
The military has been in charge of Sudan since a coup in 2021, which ended a power sharing arrangement formed following the ousting of long-term former President Omar al-Bashir.
Talks have been under way on integrating the RSF into the army as part of the move towards the return of civilian rule, Reuters reports.
Sign up here to receive our daily newsletters and breaking news alerts, sent straight to your inbox.
