West News Wire: For a second day, Khartoum, the city of Sudan, is filled with the sounds of gunfire and heavy artillery. According to doctors, combat between the army and a potent paramilitary force has claimed at least 56 civilian lives.
The United States, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates demanded that the warring parties “immediately end hostilities without condition” as the fierce combat on Sunday was taking place.
Reuters said that witnesses reported hearing heavy artillery fire early on Sunday over Khartoum, the neighboring city of Omdurman, and adjacent Bahri.
According to the Sudanese Doctors Union, since the start of the conflict, at least 595 individuals, including combatants, have been injured since the fighting between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on Saturday.
The two sides have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup. The tensions stem from a disagreement between the military, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, about how the paramilitary force should be integrated into the armed forces and what authority should oversee that process.
Global powers the US, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, European Union and African Union all appealed for an immediate end to the hostilities.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that he had spoken with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the UAE and said the three countries “agreed it was essential” that the fighting in Sudan end.
“I urge General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Degalo to take active measures to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians,” he said. “The only way forward is to return to negotiations that support the Sudanese people’s democratic aspirations.”
China also expressed concern, with the foreign ministry in Beijing urging all sides in Sudan to cease fire to prevent the situation from escalating.
