Death toll in Sudan rises to 83 as clashes continue

KHARTOUM, Sudan

The death toll in Sudan from ongoing clashes between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has reached 83, while the number of injured totals 1,126, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Sunday.

The WHO in a statement called on the parties to respect impartiality in the delivery of healthcare services and to guarantee unrestricted access to healthcare facilities for those injured in the conflict.

Two family members of Sudanese Minerals Minister Mohamed Bashir were killed when rockets hit their home in the capital Khartoum during the clashes.

Three other people were injured, including two bodyguards. Bashir escaped unharmed.

On Saturday, the Minerals Ministry building was also targeted.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said in a statement that the RSF targeted some buildings in the army headquarters in the capital and carried out an attack with snipers.

Calling for RSF members to hurry to join the army to serve their country, it said: “We know that RSF members who have served their country before are far from being a tool that will serve the goals and agenda of a single person. The country still needs your support.”

The situation will be resolved soon, it added.

A disagreement between the army and the RSF regarding military security reform, which envisages "the full participation of the RSF in the army," had turned into a hot conflict in the last few months.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface Thursday, when the army said recent movements by the RSF had occurred without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

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, was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Gozde Bayar