Violent clashes erupt in parts of Sudan

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Violent clashes broke out Sunday between the Sudanese army and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum, Al Jazirah and White Nile states and in the city of El Fasher, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

They said the army carried out airstrikes on centers where the RSF gathered around the Al-Jaili Petroleum Refinery north of the capital Khartoum, adding that thick columns of smoke were rising due to the strikes.

The RSF still controls large areas in the city of Bahri north of Khartoum, including the Al-Jaili refinery, while the army is stationed in several neighborhoods north of Bahri and at a weapons depot and Hattab and Kadroo bases in the city.

Army warplanes also carried out raids in areas south of Khartoum and in Alkotainh district in White Nile state, according to eyewitnesses.

The Wad Madani Resistance Committees said in a release that military aircraft carried out raids against RSF gatherings in the village of Bika, west of the city of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state.

Since December last year, the RSF has controlled several cities in Al Jazirah state, including Wad Madani.

Eyewitnesses said that clashes also resumed between the army and RSF in northern and eastern El Fasher involving heavy weapons.

They added that the army launched airstrikes on RSF gatherings east of El Fasher.

On Sunday, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced that clashes had resumed Saturday between the army and RSF in several western and southeastern neighborhoods of El Fasher, leading to the displacement of 250 families and reports of casualties.

Neither the army nor the RSF have commented on the latest developments.

Since May 10, El Fasher has witnessed clashes between the army, supported by armed movements that signed a peace agreement, and the RSF, despite warnings from the international community about the fighting in the city, which serves as the humanitarian operations hub for all of Darfur state.

There have been increasing calls from the UN and international organizations to avert a humanitarian disaster that could push millions into famine and death due to food shortages caused by the fighting, which has spread to 12 of the country’s 18 states.

The latest call came from the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) demanding an immediate cease-fire in Sudan "to prevent a looming famine and any potential loss of children’s lives."

Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been waging a war that has left around 15,000 dead and more than 8 million displaced and refugees, according to the UN.

*Writing by Rania Abu Shamala in Istanbul