Sudan Army says not in control of Khartoum airport
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The Sudanese Army has all but two airports under its control as the fighting rages on with the Rapid Support Forces.
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Smoke is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Saturday, April 22, 2023 (AP)
The Sudanese armed forces are as of this moment in control of all of Sudan's airports except for the one in the capital, the Khartoum International Airport and Nyala Airport in South Darfur, the Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan said on Saturday.
The Sudanese armed forces said Saturday that the process of evacuating the diplomatic missions of the countries that had requested it from Sudan would begin in the coming hours.
According to the military, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and China will evacuate their diplomats and citizens on military transport planes from Khartoum.
Meanwhile, the media reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed Friday to partially open all of the Sudanese airports so that other countries are allowed to evacuate their nationals.
"[All airports are under] the army’s control except the airports of [the capital] Khartoum and Nyala," Al-Burhan told the Al Arabiya broadcaster.
Read next: What is happening in Sudan?
Armed Forces spokesperson Brigadier General Nabil Abdallah said earlier that neither party has full control over any particular area.
"The armed forces control all headquarters. A number of RSF fighters, who were unable to escape, are inside cities and neighborhoods, using citizens as human shields," the spokesperson said.
However, he later revealed that the military started "gradually cleaning out the hotspots of the Rapid Support Forces in the vicinity of the capital, Khartoum."
The military general also accused the paramilitary group of "attacking diplomatic missions, disregarding international law" and "using civilians as human shields."
Fighting in Sudan's capital entered a second week Saturday as crackling gunfire shattered the temporary 72-hour truce, marking the latest battles between forces of rival generals that have already left hundreds dead and thousands wounded.
On Saturday morning, bursts of gunfire resumed after the heavy explosions that had previously rocked the city in recent days had calmed down overnight.
In the meantime, the United States said it had been in contact with Al-Burhan as Washington mulls pulling out its embassy staff amid the ongoing escalating military clashes between Sudan's army and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo's RSF.
Al-Burhan's forces declared a unilateral three-day truce starting Friday on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Holy month of Ramadan, and wished for the RSF paramilitary organization to comply with the ceasefire.
Despite RSF agreeing on a ceasefire - starting at 6:00 am local time (4:00 GMT) on Friday - the truce did not hold as the warring sides continued their military campaigns across several regions in the country, mostly Sudan's capital Khartoum.
According to Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim on Friday, the first day of the Muslim festival known as Eid Al-Fitr saw almost 60 fatalities and more than 200 injuries.
Read more: No diplomatic solution to situation with RSF: Sudan military
The World Health Organization (WHO) recorded the death of 413 people and 3,551 wounded due to the ongoing fighting across different regions of Sudan - while tolls are probably higher as it is almost impossible to get an accurate number in areas witnessing intense clashes.
The UN children's agency UNICEF said at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 had been wounded.
