11 babies die in orphanage in Sudan amid clashes

KHARTOUM, Sudan

At least 11 babies have died in an orphanage in Sudan as a result of the ongoing clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, according to local medics.

Medics blame malnutrition and frequent power cuts for the deaths at the Mygoma Orphanage in the capital Khartoum.

The violence has left at least 863 civilians dead and thousands injured since April 15, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than one million people have been internally displaced by the conflict.
On Monday, Sudan’s warring rivals agreed to extend a 7-day cease-fire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States for five more days.

A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara