Following battle with the regular army on Saturday, Sudan’s paramilitaries claimed possession of a number of important locations, including the presidential palace in the heart of Khartoum.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said in a statement that it had gained “full control” of the country’s airports in Merowe and Khartoum, as well as the presidential palace.
The raids by the regular army on RSF bases in south Khartoum, according to the statement, prompted the actions.
Days after the army issued a warning that the country was approaching a “dangerous” turning point, explosions rocked the capital of Sudan earlier today as paramilitaries and the regular army waged strikes on one other’s bases.
Disputes over the proposed integration of the paramilitary RSF into the regular army had been simmering for weeks between military chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
Witnesses reported hearing loud explosions, gunfire, and “confrontations” close to an RSF base in south Khartoum.
After witnesses reported seeing truckloads of fighters entering the airport compound, the RSF claimed that its forces had taken control of the Khartoum airport.
Gunfire was heard by reporters in Khartoum North, close to Burhan’s home, and near the airport. During the street-shaking artillery skirmishes, civilians could be seen scurrying for cover.
Both sides traded accusations of instigating the conflict.
“The Rapid Support Forces were surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps in Soba in Khartoum and laying siege to paramilitaries there,” the statement added.
A “sweeping attack with all kinds of heavy and light weapons” was reportedly under way, according to the report.
North of Khartoum, at Merowe, the RSF said that its fighters had also seized control of the airport.
The army attributed the intense combat to the paramilitaries.
According to army spokesman Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah, “fighters from the Rapid Support Forces attacked several army camps in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan.”
