KHARTOUM (Reuters) -Sudan’s top general declared the military’s commitment to a civilian-led government, an apparent bid for international support days after brutal fighting between his forces and a powerful paramilitary group derailed hopes for the country’s democratic transition.
In his first speech since the conflict engulfed Sudan nearly a week ago, army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan pledged the military would prevail and secure the vast African nation’s “safe transition to civilian rule.” But for many Sudanese, Burhan’s claim rang hollow 18 months after he joined forces with his current rival to seize power in a coup that cast aside Sudan’s pro-democracy forces.
Mosques held mass morning prayers inside to protect worshipers from the escalating fighting. The violence has so far killed 413 people and injured 3,551, according to the latest statistics from the World Health Organization. At least nine children were killed and 50 wounded in the fighting, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Her 37-year-old baker Daria Abdelmoniem from Khartoum fled with her family on Thursday after a rocket crashed through her roof. The roads to the suburbs were strewn with corpses. Abdelmoniem covered the eyes of his niece and nephew.
The blast that shook Khartoum was followed by fierce international calls for a holiday truce. The Rapid Relief Force, a paramilitary organization, mobilized his army at Eid al-Fitr to allow evacuation and safe corridors after the United Nations and US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken urged a pause from the spiral of violence. vowed to cease fighting for three days. However, there was no response from Burhan’s forces.
The lull in combat thus proposed collapsed repeatedly in this past week. Two generals seeking to take control of the vast African country are vying for recognition from foreign powers that have expressed support for the Sudanese seeking a transition to civilian rule. Both Burhan and his rival, RSF chief Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, have tried to present themselves as supporters of democracy. In 2019, they turned against longtime dictator Omar al-Bashir and ousted him from power amid popular uprisings against his rule.
But since then they have failed to follow through on their agreement to relinquish power. Their forces crushed pro-democracy protests, and in 2021 they jointly staged a coup to overthrow the interim government and cement them as Sudan’s most powerful leaders. The current outburst of violence between them came after Burhan and Dagalo broke down over a recent internationally negotiated agreement with pro-democracy activists that would lead to the incorporation of the RSF into the military and eventual civilian rule. .
Since Saturday, the military and RSF have shown no signs of slowing the escalation of the struggle. The Army on Thursday denied negotiating with the RSF and said it would only accept the RSF’s surrender.
The violence has already brought the Sudanese people to the brink of collapse, opening a dark and tumultuous chapter in the country’s history. There are growing concerns that turmoil in the strategically located country could engulf neighboring countries such as Chad, Egypt and Libya. Artillery and sniper fire hit civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, over the past week. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus condemned Friday’s attack on health facilities as “condemnable”, saying it “not only endangers the lives of health workers but also removes essential medical care from vulnerable populations”. take away,” he said.
WHO spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva that the violence has forced the closure of 20 health facilities across the country.Another 12 hospitals are at risk of closing, according to UNICEF. Approximately 50,000 severely malnourished children in Sudan are regularly tube-fed for survival.
Both the military and his RSF have long histories of human rights abuses in Sudan. The RSF grew out of Janjaweed militias accused of widespread atrocities during the government’s use of them to quell an insurgency in Sudan’s West Darfur region in the early 2000s. “It’s really hard to stay calm,” Abdelmoniem said, explaining that shortages of fuel, medicine, cash and food are causing despair in much of Khartoum.
