Sudan Clash: 3 Killed as Army Battles Paramilitaries in Khartoum; Indians Advised to Remain Indoors

Indian citizens living in Sudan were advised to stay indoors as the nation’s army and paramilitary forces clashed on Saturday. According to reports by news agency AFP explosions rocked Sudan’s capital Khartoum after the nation’s paramilitary forces and the army attacked each other’s bases.

The doctors’ union said three civilians had been killed, including at Khartoum airport and in North Kordofan state, and at least nine others wounded, the news agency reported.

“In view of reported firings and clashes, all Indians are advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and stop venturing outside with immediate effect. Please also stay calm and wait for updates,” the Indian Embassy in Khartoum said in a tweet.

Sudan’s paramilitaries have claimed that they have taken control of the presidential palace and the Khartoum airport. They also claimed that they have expelled attacked from “bases in Soba” and have brought the Merowe airport under control.

The attacks come days after the army warned the country was at a “dangerous” turning point.

The report by news agency AFP said tensions were high between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, over the planned integration of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular army.

The news agency citing its journalists in Sudan and eyewitnesses said confrontations, loud explosions and gunfire were heard near an RSF base in south Khartoum.

Sounds of gunfire was also heard near military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan residence and the news agency said civilians were seen running for cover as artillery exchanges rocked the streets.

Both sides are blaming each other for starting the fight.

“The Rapid Support Forces were surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps in Soba in Khartoum and laying siege to paramilitaries there,” the RSF said in a statement accessed by AFP.

The army accused RSF fighters of attacking several army camps in Khartoum and elsewhere around Sudan, the news agency reported citing spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah.

“Clashes are ongoing and the army is carrying out its duty to safeguard the country,” Abdallah was quoted as saying by the news agency.

The troops have not blocked the bridges across the Nile river that links Khartoum with its sister cities of Omdurman and Khartoum North.

Burhan has been at loggerheads with the paramilitary chief as both disagreed over talks to finalise a deal to return the country to civilian rule and end the crisis that began when both staged a coup in 2021.

United Nations mission in Sudan Volker Perthes called for an “immediate” ceasefire.

“Perthes 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,” the UN mission said.

Read all the Latest News here