The UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, called on Sudan’s military and paramilitary forces to “immediately” stop fighting in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country, as the rivalry between two of the country’s leading commanders turned into a guerrilla war on Saturday.
“Mr Perthes has contacted both parties to ask for an immediate cessation of hostilities for the safety of the Sudanese people and to spare the country from more violence,” read a statement from the UN mission in Sudan.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken similarly called on all warring parties to refrain from violence.
“We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately,” Blinken tweeted, saying he was “deeply concerned.” No employees of the US embassy in Khartoum are currently missing, he added.
Deeply concerned about reports of escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. We are in touch with the Embassy team in Khartoum - all are currently accounted for. We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations…
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 15, 2023
On Saturday morning, Khartoum woke up abruptly in the middle of the Ramadan fast to the sound of heavy gunfire and explosions.
Within hours, paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as “Hemedti”, said they had taken over the international airport and the presidential palace. They called on the entire population, including soldiers, to turn against the army.
On the other side, the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane, Sudan’s de facto ruler since taking power in in a coup in October 2021 coup, said it had mobilised its aviation forces against the “enemy.”
Three civilians have lost their lives since the clashes erupted this morning.
