KHARTOUM: The Sudanese army found itself confronted with a multi-front challenge on Monday after paramilitaries seized a police headquarters in Khartoum, resulting in a battle that claimed the lives of at least 14 civilians. Concurrently, rebels attacked troops near the Ethiopian border, adding to the already volatile situation in the country.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group that has been engaged in clashes with Sudan’s regular army since mid-April, declared a “victory in the battle for the police HQ” of the Central Reserve Police on Sunday. The Central Reserve Police is a paramilitary unit that was sanctioned by the United States last year for its involvement in “serious human rights abuses” and the use of “excessive force” against pro-democracy protests.
The RSF announced that it had complete control of the headquarters, seizing a significant number of vehicles, arms, and ammunition. If the RSF manages to maintain control over this strategic site, located at the southern edge of the capital, it could have a substantial impact on the ongoing battle in Khartoum, according to a former army officer who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity.
Blatant Attack on Sudan’s State Installations
However, the Sudanese army denied the RSF’s claim of a “military victory” and condemned the attack as a blatant assault on state institutions tasked with protecting civilians.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers south in Kurmuk, near the Ethiopian border, residents reported an attack by rebel groups on army positions. The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), led by Abdelaziz al-Hilu, initiated this latest front against the army in South Kordofan state. Al-Hilu’s faction is one of two holdout groups that refused to sign a 2020 peace deal.
The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has resulted in over 2,800 deaths across the country, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The violence has left many bodies unattended in the streets of Khartoum and in the troubled region of Darfur.
Residents reported that the fighting continued on Monday around the Central Reserve base, with RSF shells targeting an army checkpoint and causing civilian casualties on a bus. On Sunday, 14 civilians, including two children, were killed in the same area, as reported by a network of activists who assist in evacuating the wounded to the remaining operational hospitals. The activists also stated that 217 others were wounded, with 72 in critical condition, due to stray bullets, air raids, or shelling in residential neighborhoods in southern Khartoum.
Medical organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have treated around 150 war-wounded individuals in the past 48 hours at Khartoum’s Turkish Hospital. The majority of patients are civilians, including children and the elderly, according to MSF. The capture of the Central Reserve headquarters by the RSF gives them control of the southern entrance to the capital, posing a significant threat to the nearby headquarters of the armoured corps, a crucial army unit in south Khartoum.
Conflict’s Impact on Sudan’s Healthcare System
The ongoing conflict has severely impacted Sudan’s healthcare infrastructure, with two-thirds of health facilities in the main battlegrounds remaining out of service, according to the World Health Organization. The few remaining operational hospitals are facing shortages of medical supplies, struggling to obtain fuel for generators, and are understaffed.
The western region of Darfur has witnessed the deadliest violence since the conflict began in mid-April. In Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, at least a dozen civilians were killed on Sunday, according to a local doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Residents reported intense artillery fire overnight, with rockets falling on civilian homes.
As the violence escalates, reports of sexual violence and looting have also increased, and the number of internally displaced people within Sudan has reached approximately two million, with an additional 600,000 individuals seeking refuge across Sudan’s borders, as reported by the International Organization for Migration.
