The paramilitaries of Sudan They said on Saturday that they controlled several key sites in the country, including the presidential palace, after clashes with the army. however, official sources categorically deny it: “The Rapid Support Forces (FAR) spreading false news from outside Sudan and reclaim control of the General Command and the Palace of the Republic,” read a statement from the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) said it had taken “total control” of the presidential palace and airports in Khartoum, the capital, and Merowe, in the north of the country.
On social media, videos of the coup are multiplying in real time. There are missiles hitting residential buildings, the airport in flames with ceilings destroyed by explosions, clashes in the streets and a military deployment with fighter jets and helicopters flying across the smoky skies of Khartoum, the capital.
The paramilitaries say they began their offensive in response to regular army attacks on FAR bases south of Khartoum.
The last few weeks have been marked by strong tensions between the two generals who led the October 2021 coup: the army chief, Abdel Fatah al Burhan, and the FAR paramilitary chief, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The Sudanese capital woke up on Saturday shaken by explosions and clashes in various neighborhoods. The FAR has called on residents to join them “to protect the homeland and the profits of the revolution”, referring to the popular uprising that toppled dictator Omar al Bashir in 2019.
Both sides blame each other for the start of hostilities.
The FAR, which brings together former militiamen from the Darfur war, said it was “surprised in the morning by the arrival of a large army contingent which besieged their camp in Soba”.
In a statement, they accused the army of having “attacked them with all kinds of heavy and light weapons”. The army, on the other hand, said fighting in Khartoum erupted when the FAR attacked military bases.
As expected, in the turmoil that is shaking the African country, the Sudanese army has denied that the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) paramilitary group controls the Presidential Palace and has assured that there are already deserters among the rival units.
“While some of your soldiers and officers who are now militarily unskilled in the middle of the total absence of their supreme command and superiors flee and leave their weapons in the streets, others enter the residential neighborhoods to take refuge among the citizens”.
Similarly, in another statement, the military units admitted that the FAR was putting pressure on their forces to control the country’s main buildings.
The Army also reported that the FAR commander in White Nile State has surrendered “all his forces, fields and equipment to the Army Command in the State and announces that he will join the fight” together with the Army, which would officially the first paramilitary unit to defect from the ranks of these units.
The Army has already defined the FAR, whose leader is the deputy president of the Sovereign Council and number two of the Army, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, alias “Hemedti”, as “rebel militias”.
The Air Force began bombing FAR positions after they advanced into pitched battle, saying they captured the Presidential Palace and Khartoum airport, the largest in Sudan, among some important points.
International impact and US word
The coup attempt in Sudan is already a subject of international diplomacy. Without going far, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this Saturday from Vietnam, where he is visiting, that although the situation in Sudan is “fragile”, there is still “a real opportunity to fight for a transition to civilian rule”.
“There are some actors fighting against this progress, but this is a real opportunity to fight for a transition to civilian rule. We are very focused on that,” Blinken said at a press conference in Hanoi today, when asked about the situation in Sudan.
The paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (FAR) said today that it controls the Presidential Palace of the African country, where the president of the Sovereign Council and military leader, Abdelfatah al Burhan, resides, but his fate is unknown.
Meanwhile, several Arab countries have called for an immediate ceasefire and have offered to intervene in the conflict.
The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Abulgueit, urged today to “immediately stop the escalation of violence and bloodshed” in Sudan and expressed his willingness to intervene with the parties to stop the confrontation.
In a note, the diplomat condemned “the use of weapons and clashes” between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the FAR in Khartoum and other areas, especially “during the day of the holy month of Ramadan” and recalled “the responsibility of warring parties to maintain the safety of civilians”.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry has called on Sudanese politicians to “give priority to the language of dialogue, moderation and wisdom” and to “unite” to “complete the consensus reached” with the transitional framework agreement. democracy “under which political stability, economic recovery and prosperity will be achieved for the Sudan”.
Similarly, Egypt has also issued a statement stating that it is following “the evolution of the situation in Sudan with great concern” and calls on all Sudanese parties to “exercise maximum restraint in order to protect human lives” and ” best defend the interests of the fatherland”.
For its part, Qatar expressed its “deep concern” and called for “the immediate cessation of fighting and the resolution of disputes through dialogue and peaceful means”.
Source: AFP
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.