459 Killed In Sudan As Conflict Enters Second Week
At least 459 people have been killed and 4,072 have been wounded since the outbreak of the conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) in Sudan, the country’s representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on April 25.
During a video press briefing, Dr. Nima Saeed Abid said, however, that the figures are probably “very much underestimated.”
The clashes in Sudan started on April 15 as a result of a disagreement over how the RSF, which is led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, should be integrated into the army, which is led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and what authority should oversee the process during transition to civilian-led rule in the country.
On April 24, the army and the RSF agreed to a 72-hour ceasefire. The RSF said that the aim of the ceasefire was to “establish humanitarian corridors, allowing citizens and residents to access essential resources, healthcare, and safe zones, while also evacuating diplomatic missions.”
Despite the ceasefire, heavy artillery fire was reported on April 25 in Omdurman, where a dozen people were wounded after a hospital was hit. Fighting also continued in the capital, Khartoum, as well in Geneina, West Darfur, according to local sources.
The RSF was reported to have taken the town of Wad Banda in West Kordofan and clashes were reported at Port Sudan Prison as the army accused the RSF of attacking jails.
In addition, the WHO expressed alarm over potential biological hazards after one of the warring sides, whom it did not identify, seized control of the National Public Health Laboratory containing measles, polio and cholera pathogens, among other hazardous substances.
On April 26, the RSF said that it had taken over the Garri oil refinery and power plant more than 70 kilometers to the north of Khartoum. More clashes were reported in West Kordofan in West Darfur. Fighting was also reported in Blue Nile.
The U.S., which was the first country to evacuate its diplomatic mission from Sudan, announced on the same day that a second American was killed in the fighting.
Both al-Burhan and Dagalo have been ruling Sudan as the president and vice-president of the so-called Sovereign Council since a coup in October 2021. The power struggle between the two powerful generals could take the country to a lengthy civil war.
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