Khartoum, Omdurman, Zalingei, Kabkabiya, El Geneina, and El Obeid – Fierce clashes between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), led by Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), headed by Lt Gen Mohamed “Hemeti” Dagalo, erupted in the capital Khartoum yesterday and have since spread to other parts of the country. The fighting has already claimed at least 56 civilian lives and dozens of military personnel, with hundreds more reported injured.
The inter‑factional violence broke out after longstanding tensions between the forces loyal to Sudan’s two most powerful generals. Army and paramilitary troops battled for control of key points in and around Khartoum, including the airports, the Presidential Palace, and the TV broadcast centre, while terrified civilians fled for cover. As the violence continued overnight, both factions issued conflicting claims about which locations they controlled, making verification difficult.
The Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Sudanese Armed Forces announced that “there can be no negotiation or dialogue” until what it described as “Hemeti’s rebel militia” is dissolved. In a separate statement via the official Sudan News Agency (SUNA), Lt Gen Yasir El Ata, a member of the Sudanese Sovereignty Council, said the SAF had “controlled all the major RSF camps in Khartoum and in several other cities and towns, including Port Sudan, El Gedaref, and Kosti.” The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors reported at least 56 civilian deaths and “dozens of military personnel” killed, with close to 600 injured at the time of their report.
The clashes were first reported in central Khartoum, but gunfire and shelling soon echoed across the city. Artillery fire was later heard in Omdurman to the northwest and in Khartoum North (Bahri). The government urged the public to remain indoors. Armoured vehicles and other military deployments were visible on the streets, while fighter jets and assault helicopters of the Sudanese Air Force patrolled the skies above the capital.
The first deaths occurred after fighting around Khartoum International Airport, where images showed smoke rising near a Saudia Airlines Airbus on the tarmac. The airline confirmed that one of its aircraft “came under fire.” All Saudia and EgyptAir international flights to Khartoum have been cancelled, and foreign embassies have urged their citizens to “shelter in place.” Chad announced that it has closed its border with Sudan.
Clashes were also reported around the military camp at Merowe in Northern State, about 200 km north of Khartoum, where a large number of RSF paramilitaries had been deployed in recent days. Gunfire was heard in Port Sudan in the Red Sea state. In Kabkabiya, North Darfur, three UN World Food Programme (WFP) employees reportedly died when SAF and RSF troops fought at a military base; the WFP is being contacted for confirmation. Reports from El Obeid in North Kordofan listed at least three dead and dozens injured. Fighting continued in the Central Darfur capital Zalingei and in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur, though exact casualty figures are still being assessed.
This eruption of violence follows a growing power struggle between Lt Gen Abdelfattah El Burhan, commander of the SAF and Sudan’s de facto leader after the 2021 military coup, and Lt Gen Mohamed “Hemeti” Dagalo, commander of the notorious RSF. Although both sides have repeatedly voiced the intention to integrate the SAF and RSF into a unified national army, recent negotiations on the Framework Agreement for a transition to civilian governance stalled, largely due to failure to reach consensus on security and military reform. This is a developing story.
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