Sudan Conflict 2023
The nightmare scenario that many feared in Sudan is unfolding. In cities and towns across the country, including the capital Khartoum, the clashes are between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The two generals are former allies who worked together to pull off a coup in 2019.
Fighting broke out on 15 April, after days of escalating armed manoeuvres by the rivalrous forces. Tensions had run high for days amid a dispute related to demands from the army that the RSF dissolve, with its members to be integrated into regular military ranks.
It is unclear who fired the first shot (although the RSF is believed to have staged attacks against the SAF), but both sides had clearly prepared for battle. Clashes erupted first in Khartoum, spreading rapidly to major towns to the north, south, east and west. Since then, the momentum has swung back and forth, with the two sides issuing conflicting claims to be in control of key institutions.
According to the World Health Organisation, more than 290 civilians are dead, countless others are stuck in their homes in baking 40-degree Celsius heat without electricity or (sometimes) water, hospitals have run out of supplies and aid agencies have suspended operations. Widespread looting means that food is also growing scarce. The number of deaths is likely much larger than is known.
Citizens report that dead bodies lined the streets of the Sudan capital of Khartoum, but they could not be retrieved due to the hostilities.
The RSF, stength 70,000–150,000, is supported by the Libyan National Army and the Russia-based Wagner PMC. The SAF, strength 110,000–120,000, is supported by Egypt.
Source - several...
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2. The two rival generals.
3. Smoke billowing from the Khartoum airport on Apr. 15, 2023.
4. A wrecked truck with mounted anti-aircraft guns.
5. Sudenese government soldiers.
6. A neighborhood in Khartoum that was shelled on Apr. 15, 2023.
