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BLOOMBERG
Deadly battles between Sudan’s army and a rival paramilitary group spread across the country during a second day of violence, with fatalities rising to at least 56 amid fears of a full-blown civil war.
Intense fighting took place at the military’s headquarters in the capital Khartoum, causing parts of the building to catch fire, the army said in a statement. Clashes are ongoing in el-Fasher in the western region of Darfur over control of the airport, people briefed on the matter said, and in Blue Nile state near the border with Ethiopia. Violence also broke out in Port Sudan, a key trading zone and crucial conduit for the export of oil from South Sudan.
The conflict erupted after a long-simmering dispute between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia exploded into a battle for control of the North African nation. The two sides traded claims on holding key infrastructure such as the international airport in Khartoum and the public broadcaster, and the United Nations, US, Russia and China called for a ceasefire amid concerns of a regional war.
The conflict between the army under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF throws into chaos plans for a power-sharing government that was supposed to lead Sudan to democratic elections after a 2021 coup. A deal was seen as a way to restore billions of dollars of frozen aid and was bring closely monitored by Western powers and Russia and China, which covet its strategic Red Sea coastline, oil and mineral resources.
Fighting engulfed the airport, presidential palace and other parts of the capital, with reports of air strikes and widespread violence in other cities.