Violent clashes continued on Friday 21 April in Sudan between the regular army and paramilitary forces, despite multiple calls for a ceasefire and as many residents celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan.
Gunfire and airstrikes have rocked the capital, Khartoum, day and night, as it has daily since April 15, with the death toll reaching 400 dead and 3,300 wounded.
sequel after announcement
However, diplomatic contacts intensified on Thursday: Major General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the army chief and de facto leader of Sudan since the 2021 coup, announced that he had been contacted by regional leaders, particularly South Sudanese or Ethiopians and foreigners, notably UN President Antonio Guterres and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. American Anthony Blinken.
Ceasefire calls were not followed
He called on everyone to end the fight against the feared paramilitary forces of the Rapid Support Forces of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, his second in command since the coup, on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
FSRs declared themselves They agreed to a 72-hour truce. 4 am to give a respite to the Sudanese still caught in the crossfire. But, as has always been the case for several days, these advertisements have not been followed up.
At the same time, General Burhan appeared for the first time since the start of hostilities on April 15 on state television. As in previous years, he addressed the nation on the occasion of the holiday, without mentioning any truce.
sequel after announcement
“On Eid this year, our country is bleeding: the ravages of destruction and devastation, and the sound of bullets against joy.”He said. “We hope to emerge from this ordeal more united (…) one army and one people (…) towards a civil authority.”, he added. So far, like his rival, General Dagalo, he has only spoken to the media and has not addressed the 45 million Sudanese directly.
A country in chaos
Khartoum begins its seventh day amid the din of air strikes, explosions and street fighting. The ongoing shootings severely damaged the new hospitals on Thursday, according to the Doctors Syndicate. Four of them were injured in El Obeid, 350 km south of Khartoum.
After meeting with the Chairperson of the African Union and other international leaders, “Everyone is convinced of the need for a truce in Sudan.”The head of US diplomacy called on the rival generals to try again to negotiate an end to the fighting, which is mainly concentrated in Khartoum and Darfur (west).
Meanwhile, the United States announced that it would send soldiers to Sudan to facilitate a possible evacuation of its embassy, ​​while the airport has been closed since Saturday, and the two chancellorships call on its nationals to report themselves while avoiding any travel. .
sequel after announcement
Why Sudan is facing a military coup?
In the capital, many families have run out of food and no longer have electricity or running water. The telephone network only works intermittently.
Women and children, for the most part, wander the roads to escape, between the FSR and army checkpoints and the corpses strewn on the roadsides.
Since the power struggle, lurking for weeks between the two generals, turned into a pitched battle, civilians have also fled abroad in droves: Between 10,000 and 20,000 people, mainly women and children, have crossed into neighboring Chad, according to the United Nations.
