Gunfire and explosions rang out Saturday morning in several areas of the Sudanese capital Khartoum, as months of heightened tensions between rival factions of the armed forces appeared to morph into an all-out battle. to gain control of one of the largest countries in Africa.
Fighting that began early Saturday morning at military bases in southern Khartoum quickly spread across the city to the presidential palace, state television headquarters and international Airport.
Videos circulating on social media showed soldiers opening fire on the streets, armored vehicles speeding through residential areas and tourists sheltering on the airport floor amid reports of battles inside the terminal and near the runway.
The clash has come After weeks of heightened tension between the Sudanese Army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Force, a powerful paramilitary group led by Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan.
Here are the latest developments:
-
By lunchtime Saturday, the Rapid Support Force announced in a statement that it had occupied the presidential palace, a guest house inside the military headquarters, the country’s main international airport as well as airports in other parts of the country. the cities of al-Obeid and Meroe. The claims cannot be independently verified.
-
A United Nations official said clashes were happening “literally everywhere” in Khartoum, including near the sprawling US Embassy in the southeastern corner of the capital. John Godfrey, US Ambassador to Sudan, say on Twitter that he was back in Sudan on Friday night, only to wake up to “very disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting.”
