Sudan’s capital Khartoum has become an active combat zone as the army leader Abdel Fattah el-Burhan goes up against his second in command, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. Tensions have been escalating between the two military forces and their leaders for weeks, before violence finally broke out on Saturday. The Indian mission in Sudan made it a point, to immediately issue warnings to all Indians in the country. They have been asked to remain calm, seek shelter and stay indoors until further notice.
Tensions arose as plans to merge the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), into the regular army were being made. The conflict began when witnesses reported confrontations and explosions at an RSF base in south Khartoum. The RSF also confirmed that it had captured the airport, just as reports of troop laden trucks approaching the airport came in. The sound of gunfire emanated from the airport and the residence of Burhan in Khartoum North.
Both sides continue to lay the blame on each other. The RSF have said that army units surprised them on Saturday by entering their camps in Soba and surrounding them with all sorts of heavy and light weaponry.
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The army flipped blame entirely on the RSF, saying their troops had been attacked by the paramilitary forces, in camps within Khartoum as well as at other places in the Sudanese countryside. They added that clashes are ongoing and the army is carrying out its mission of safeguarding the country.
The army and the paramilitary have been at loggerheads since 2021 and were supposed to integrate so the country could return to civilian rule, ending the crisis initiated by the 2021 coup. The plans have already been delayed twice as last-minute changes derailed the negotiations. On Thursday the army sounded the alarm, saying the country was in a precarious position as the paramilitary had mobilized troops and spread them in the capital and other cities. According to the army the mobilization was not authorized but the paramilitary has said that it was done in coordination with the armed forces, leading to further confusion. With the nation in disarray, the Indian Mission in Sudan is trying its level best to make sure it’s citizens are safe and can be evacuated if necessary.