Khartoum: An Indian national were among 56 people killed when Sudan’s army launched air strikes on a rival paramilitary force’s base near the capital in a bid to reassert control over the chaotic country. Dozens of fighters were also injured in the clashes.
The fighting broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019.
The US, China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, European Union and African Union have appealed for an immediate end to the hostilities. Efforts by neighbours and regional bodies to end the violence intensified on Sunday. That included an offer by Egypt and South Sudan to mediate between the fighting parties, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency. At the end of a day of heavy fighting, the army struck a base belonging to the RSF in the city of Omdurman, which adjoins the capital Khartoum, witnesses said. Both the military and the RSF claimed they had control of Sudan’s airport and other key installations in Khartoum, where fighting raged overnight. The two rivals have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup.
Stray bullet kills Indian
An Indian national died after he was hit by a bullet in the clashes. Expressing grief over the death, foreign minister S Jaishankar said the situation in Khartoum is one of great concern. “We will continue to monitor developments,” he tweeted. The Indian embassy in Khartoum said the deceased, Albert Augestine, was working in a Dal Group Company in Sudan. The embassy had earlier advised Indians to stay indoors following widespread violence in Khartoum. There are close to 4,000 Indians in Sudan.