Airstrikes reported in Sudanese capital; paramilitary group claims to seize palace

The outbreak of violence follows years of ratcheting tensions between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a major paramilitary group led by Vice President Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — universally referred to as Hemedti — and the military, headed by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the nation’s president.

Shooting broke out around 9 a.m., residents said, and fighting quickly escalated as artillery, armored vehicles and then fighter jets were deployed. Bridges were blocked and three planes at the international airport were hit, witnesses said.

The RSF claimed it had taken control of sites including the presidential palace, Khartoum International Airport, and the airport in Merowe, north of the capital. The Sudanese Armed Forces dismissed RSF statements as “lies.” Both sides blamed the other for attacking first.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Hemedti described Burhan as “a criminal and a liar who will destroy Sudan,” and pledged to “hand him and his associates over to face justice.” He said 100 military officers and thousands of soldiers had defected to him, without providing evidence.

The army said it was fighting RSF attempts to seize the presidential palace and the residence of the army chief. The Sudanese air force is conducting operations against RSF positions, it said, sharing unverified footage of military aircraft in the sky. “We are waging a battle of national dignity that has long been coming,” the army said.

Tensions have run high for months between Sudan’s army and the RSF, which have been sharing power but disagree on how this should be split, and when paramilitary forces should be dissolved as part of a transition to civilian rule.

The violence dates back to the time of former president Omar al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years and had been incited by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. He had tried to stave off growing opposition to his rule by encouraging the growth of the Rapid Support Force, a militia that grew out of the Janjaweed in the western region of Darfur. The Janjaweed were blamed for rapes, burning villages and mass killings.

A spiraling cycle of civilian protests and bloody crackdowns toppled Bashir in 2019, ushering in a brief euphoria before the military and RSF seized power in 2021. Diplomatically isolated and economically crippled, the two sides agreed late last year to turn over power over to a civilian-led government. But the deal left key problems unresolved, said Kholood Khair, the founding director of Khartoum-based think tank Confluence Advisory.

“The framework agreement codified the tensions between them,” he said. “It promoted Hemedti from Burhan’s deputy to his equal … It’s made it difficult for Burhan to back this deal. His forces put inordinate pressure on him not to back the final deal, which was due April 1.”

The alliance was always uneasy, she said, noting “They have different foreign policies, allies and income streams and different visions on how to consolidate the coup they led together in 2021.”

The fighting has wider regional implications: Hemedti has been publicly linked to Russia’s Wagner group, while General Burhan has support from neighboring Egypt.

Even if the fighting stops in Khartoum, Khair said, it might continue elsewhere in the country.

“Sudan is on the precipice of civil war,” warned Alan Boswell, director for the Horn of Africa for the International Crisis Group. “This is the double-headed monster that seized power after Bashir. Now the two heads have turned on each other.

On Saturday, fighting was reported in several cities. The U.S. ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, said he was sheltering in place with the embassy team after waking up to “gunfire and fighting.” He called on senior military leaders to stop the fighting.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted “We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and continue talks.”

Witnesses, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, reported seeing armored vehicles and plumes of smoke rising in the city. Mothers dashed to get their children from school, some unable to return home due to gunfire, armed men blocked bridges and people tried to go home under gunfire, said an activist, citing eyewitness reports from their network.

“There are armored personnel carriers and troops deploying,” said another witness. “I can hear heavy weapons in the distance.”

A major doctors’ association said clashes had broken out in “residential neighborhoods” in Khartoum and Merowe, “which led to various injuries, with serious cases among citizens, and people continue to be injured.”

Two civilians had been killed at the airport and dozens of injuries reported, the Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union wrote on Twitter, also calling for the protection of medical personnel, civilians and the injured.

Francis reported from London and Parker reported from Washington.