Clashes rock Khartoum again after failed sixth Sudan truce

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 May 2023 18:25

This comes as the UN warns of a mass exodus, where more than 800,000 people could flee the ongoing clashes in Sudan.

A man walks while smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023 (Reuters)

The UN on Monday warned that more than 800,000 people could flee fighting in Sudan, where gun battles and explosions again shook the capital in violation of the latest truce agreed between warring generals.

The United Nations refugee agency said Monday it was bracing for "the possibility that over 800,000 people may flee the fighting in Sudan for neighboring countries."

"We hope it doesn't come to that, but if violence doesn't stop we will see more people forced to flee Sudan seeking safety," UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in a tweet.

UNHCR, with governments and partners, is preparing for the possibility that over 800,000 people may flee the fighting in Sudan for neighbouring countries.
We hope it doesn’t come to that, but if violence doesn’t stop we will see more people forced to flee Sudan seeking safety.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) May 1, 2023

This comes as gun battles and explosions rocked again Sudan's capital on Monday despite the latest truce formally agreed between the warring parties as the United Nations warned the humanitarian crisis had brought the country near its "breaking point".

The chaos and bloodshed, now in their third week, have sparked a mass exodus of tens of thousands of Sudanese to neighboring countries including Egypt, Chad, and the Central African Republic.

More than 500 people have been reported killed since fighting erupted on April 15 between Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and Mohammad Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

#Sudan is plunged into complete chaos one day after clashes broke out between the #Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). pic.twitter.com/C4zxUOWKEJ
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 16, 2023

Millions of Sudanese around the capital and beyond have sheltered in their homes with dwindling food and water and frequent power cuts.

"Warplanes are flying over southern Khartoum and anti-aircraft guns are firing at them," said one resident, while another witness told AFP that he was also hearing "loud gunfire".

Al-Burhan and Dagalo have agreed to multiple, poorly observed ceasefires and extended the latest by 72 hours late on Sunday, with each side repeatedly blaming the other for the frequent violations.

While foreign nations have evacuated thousands of their citizens by air, road, and sea, some 50,000 Sudanese have fled overland to neighbors, confirmed the UN.

Top UN humanitarian official heading to Sudan

Sudan's turmoil has seen aid workers killed, hospitals bombed, humanitarian facilities looted, and foreign aid groups forced to suspend most of their operations.

"The scale and speed of what is unfolding is unprecedented in Sudan," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN chief Antonio Guterres. "We are extremely concerned by the immediate as well as long-term impact on all people in Sudan, and the broader region."

Top UN humanitarian official Martin Griffiths was heading to the region to help bring relief to the millions "whose lives have turned upside down overnight."

"The humanitarian situation is reaching breaking point," Dujarric warned.

According to Sudan's Ministry of Health, at least 528 people have been killed and almost 4,600 wounded in the violence, but the real death toll is feared to be far higher.

Fighting has spread across Sudan, including to the long-troubled Darfur region.

The UN said at least 96 people were reported killed in El Geneina, West Darfur, where supplies were seen scattered across the floors of badly damaged hospitals.

UN facilities looted

The UN has warned that the unrest could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 16 million people already needed aid to stave off famine.

Only 16% of Khartoum's health facilities are functioning, confirmed the UN World Health Organisation (WHO).

The fighting was pushing Sudan's already ailing health sector toward "disaster", warned the WHO's regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed Al-Mandhari.

He warned of the growing threat of cholera, malaria, and other diseases as the rainy season nears and safe water supplies are becoming scarce.

A first Red Cross plane on Sunday delivered eight tonnes of medical supplies from Jordan to Port Sudan, which has served as an evacuation hub.

The UN World Food Programme announced that it has resumed activities in Sudan after over two weeks of suspension following the deaths of three of its aid workers.

Regional powers have joined negotiations to help end the violence.

An envoy of Al-Burhan's met on Sunday in Riyadh with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who called for the restoration of calm in Sudan.

Egypt, in an Arab League emergency meeting in Cairo, proposed a draft resolution on Monday that called for an "immediate and comprehensive cessation" of fighting.

South Sudan receives about 10,000 refugees fleeing clashes

On Monday, officials in South Sudan's Renk County said around 10,000 refugees have entered South Sudan coming from Sudan in recent days fleeing the ongoing clashes between the army and the RSF.

County Commissioner Kak Padiet told Reuters that about 6,500 refugees crossed the border on Saturday, another 3,000 on Sunday, and more were arriving on Monday.

"It is the local authorities and local people providing assistance to the new arrivals," the army commander in Renk, Dau Aturjong, told Reuters. "Up to now, humanitarian organisations have not intervened."