What's going on in Sudan?
The situation at the end of April 15, 2023
In Sudan, active clashes between the Rapid Reaction Forces (RRF) and the Sudanese army continue.
Back in the middle of the week, RRF leader Muhammad Hamdan Daglo "Hamedti" called on his fighters to mobilize and occupy key cities in the country. Representatives of the Sovereign Council, headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called such actions illegal.
▪️It is curious that on April 13 - two days before the escalation - Hamedti held meetings with special envoys of the United States, Great Britain and Norway in Sudan.
Tensions developed between the RRF and the military elite led by al-Burkhan, since the RRF refused to integrate into the army structures - this was one of the conditions for the creation of a transitional government. Hamedti, on the other hand, believes that the dissolution of the RRF into the regular army will undermine his political positions.
▪️The probable reason for active actions was the occupation of the Meroe airport by the Egyptian Air Force and the Sudanese army.
Since April 4, Sudan and Egypt have been conducting joint exercises there, but rumors began to spread that al-Burhan was going to transfer the airport to Egypt for permanent use. Meroe is one of the RRF's key staging posts for weapons and gold.
In the first hours of today's escalation, the SRF took over the Meroe airport and captured the Egyptian commandos. The facility is still held by the SBR, but Hamedti said he was working with Egypt to send home the prisoners, among whom no one was hurt.
🔻The main events are concentrated within Khartoum
▪️According to media reports, the rebels from the SBR managed to take one of the main airfields in the capital.
Against the backdrop of hostilities, Sudan International Airport stopped receiving flights. Mortar shelling damaged two civilian liners, one of which was Ukrainian.
▪️It was reported that during heavy urban fighting, the Rapid Reaction Forces captured the Presidential Palace and the building of the General Staff of the Sudan army.
Representatives of the Sovereign Council deny this information.
▪️Fierce fighting unfolded near the offices of television and radio communications companies in Sudan. Both parties claim control of the facilities.
The armed forces blocked all approaches to the buildings, and the army elite ordered to restrict state television and the Internet in the country.
Residents report that instead of the usual programs, they broadcast recordings of folk songs on TV.
▪️ Some time after the start of the conflict, the Sudanese Air Force loyal to the army leadership began to strike at the facilities of the RRF in Khartoum.
▪️Heavy machinery was also seen on the streets. Both sides use mortars.
❗️Three hours ago it became known that the RRF launched an assault on the alleged hideout of al-Burkhan, the chief of the general staff and the minister of defense. The results of the assault are not reported, but a two-hour-old video confirms that al-Burhan is free and busy inspecting troops.
🔻Clashes also occur in the regions
▪️Clashes also take place in various provinces of the country. It is known about the dead civilians in the city of Al-Fasher in Northern Darfur.
▪️In the province of South Darfur, there are battles for the airfield of the capital of the region, Nyalu.
According to the RRF, the local garrison handed over the object to the rebels and went over to their side.
▪️Also, the RRF rebels managed to capture the airport named after the martyr Sabira in the capital of the province of West Darfur, Al-Janeina.
🔻The RRF and the Armed Forces of Sudan are actively using disinformation and claim control over objects and the transition of enemy units to their side in order to demoralize opponents. Internet shutdowns make it difficult to objectively control and be able to reliably confirm which side currently has the upper hand.
However, given the impressive resource of the RRF — up to 100,000 personnel — and the comparable size of the regular army, in the coming days we will see continued clashes in various regions of the country.
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