2023-04-16 12:49:22
Three United Nations employees in Sudan They were killed in the troubled region of Darfur as clashes between the army and paramilitary forces continued, the head of the UN mission said on Sunday. The African country is in chaos and civilians are in the middle of that savage struggle for power.
Hours after the clashes, UN special representative Volker Perthes said in a statement: “Three World Food Program employees were killed in clashes that broke out in Kabkabiya, North Darfur.”
Crisis and violence in Sudan: the Army and paramilitaries if they dispute power with two feuding generals
Clashes between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries, who are vying for power after the 2021 coup, left at least 56 civilians killed and hundreds injured. However, there are seriously injured who could not be transferred to hospitals and their state of health is unknown.
The Central Committee of Doctors of Sudan reported through a statement that “the total number of deaths among civilians reached 56.” But, he anticipated that there would be “dozens of deaths” among the security forces that are not included in that balance. The committee added that it would have counted some 600 wounded, including members of the security forces, and that they could not be sent to hospitals due to the intense fighting in the area.
The Sudanese capital, Khartoum, was rocked by several explosions and gunfire on Saturday night, following a day of street fighting and airstrikes.
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The origin of this violence erupted after weeks of tensions between the head of the army, General Abdel Fatah al Burhan, and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the Rapid Support Forces (FAR), a heavily armed paramilitary group that brings together ex-militia members. of the Darfur war.
Despite the fact that the two sides joined forces during the 2021 coup, which unleashed an economic, social and political crisis in the country, that union came to its worst end. Little by little, the disagreements grew over time and, now, they focus on the future of the paramilitaries and their integration into the Armed Forces.
Both sides blame the other for the violence and claim to control key locations in Khartoum. While the capital of Sudan is still involved in chaos and civilians only think about surviving from day to day.
Military coup in Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world
Daglo, also known as “Hemedti”, announced the seizure of Khartoum’s international airport and the presidential palace, but the army claims it continues to control them.
“The shots and explosions don’t stop,” Ahmed Hamid, 34, told the AFP agency from a northern suburb of Khartoum, the capital.
Critical situation
“The situation is very worrying and it doesn’t look like it will calm down anytime soon,” added Ahmed Seif, another Khartoum resident. The man fears that his building has been hit by gunfire, but he stated that it was too dangerous to go out and check.
Images obtained by AFP showed thick smoke coming from a building near the army headquarters in Khartoum. The military claimed that a building “caught fire” in the midst of the clashes, but that it was brought under control.
Doctors continued to plead for help on social media, urging the establishment of safe corridors for ambulances and a ceasefire to treat victims.
The desert streets of Khartoum gave off a smell of gunpowder on Sunday, while the city’s inhabitants remained barricaded in their homes. At the same time clashes broke out on the outskirts of the capital, including in the western region of Darfur.
Although the focus is on the capital of Sudan, there would be other confrontations taking place simultaneously in other regions of that country. According to witness Hussein Saleh, in the eastern border state of Kasala the army fired artillery at a paramilitary camp.
Calls for moderation
The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, warned through his spokesman that an “escalation in the conflict will have a devastating impact on civilians and will further aggravate the already precarious humanitarian situation in the country.”
For its part, the Arab League, at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, will hold an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation in Sudan. Concern about the conflict also reached Western countries where calls for ceasefires from the United States, Russia, France, Italy, Brazil, China, the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union and even the former Prime Minister agreed. civil minister Abdalá Hamdok.
The church also joined through Pope Francis himself, who expressed following the events with “concern”, urged to resume dialogue in the country.
violent speeches
Despite this request and for the moment, the two generals do not seem willing to talk. On the contrary, Hemedti in an interview with the Emirati network Sky News Arabia stated: “Burhan, the criminal, must surrenderBurhan, a soldier who rose through the ranks under the now-imprisoned Islamist general Bashir, said the 2021 coup was “necessary” to bring more factions into politics.
Daglo, for his part, called the coup a “mistake” because it failed to bring about change and reactivated some elements of the Bashir regime that was overthrown by the army in 2019 after massive protests.
In response to Hemedti’s interview, the army posted a “wanted notice” on its Facebook page. against Hemedti. “This escaped criminal is wanted by justice,” read the message, accompanied by a photomontage.
The latest episode of violence adds to the repression of demonstrations in favor of democracy that have shaken the country in the last 18 months and left more than 120 civilians dead.
The dispute between the two generals blocks the democratic transition demanded by the international community to resume its aid to Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world.
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