Clashes Continue in Khartoum as Indirect Talks to Begin

Smoke from fuel stores at Khartoum airport as fighting intensifies on April 16, 2023

May 6, 2023 (KHARTOUM) – The Sudanese army on Saturday repulsed an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the command of the air force, which carries out frequent attacks on the RSF’s positions.

The “RSF attempted to storm the command of the Air Defence Forces in Khartoum, but the Sudan Armed Forces repelled the attack, destroyed several enemy vehicles, and captured three combat vehicles,” read the statement.

Despite a declared ceasefire and talks in Saudi Arabia on a humanitarian truce, explosions, and clashes have continued in various areas of Khartoum.

The paramilitary forces are deployed mainly in the Sudanese capital and took advantage of its presence in several strategic sites to control it after the eruption of the clashes avec the army on April 15.

To prevent Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militiamen from reaching the capital, Sudan’s air force regularly raids military reinforcements heading to the capital from Darfur, the home of the RSF, to prevent them from reaching Khartoum.

Eyewitnesses said clashes erupted between the Republican Palace, where the RSF fighters are, and Airport Street. Also, the air force carried out attacks while the militia forces responded with anti-aircraft guns, amid the rising plumes of smoke in the sky.

In a separate statement, the Sudanese army reported that its forces engaged in combat with the militiamen at the intersection leading to the suburb of Barri from Khartoum.

The RSF set up temporary mobile checkpoints on Khartoum’s streets. The militiamen have been accused of stealing civilians’ belongings and cell phones. Also, traders claim that the RSF militias have broken their shops and looted their contents.

Talks to begin

Sources close to the talks informed Sudan Tribune on Saturday that negotiations are scheduled to begin on Sunday in Jeddah, with an agenda centered on the cessation of hostilities, and the opening of humanitarian corridors.

“The negotiations will not address any other topics, and the two parties will not meet face-to-face. Instead, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Tripartite panel and the Quad will mediate the discussions,” the sources said.

In order to strike a humanitarian ceasefire, the mediators will likely face difficulty to identify the locations of the warring forces to create the needed humanitarian corridors.

The army calls for the vacation of residential neighbourhoods in Khartoum, where the paramilitary forces have stationed, to avoid potential attacks.

Activists have reported that the RSF forces have seized residential buildings and converted a hospital into a centre for commanding their forces, causing residents to flee.

The mediators also are expected to propose a plan to protect residential areas and withdraw fighters from civilian facilities.