Sudan army, RSF forces battle over weapons, fuel depots in Khartoum
Residents say there has been a violent battle with clashes on the ground and columns of smoke rising, and due to the proximity of fuel and gas depots any explosion could destroy the whole area.
More than 1,428,000 people have been driven from their homes within Sudan and a further 476,800 have fled into neighbouring countries, most of which are already struggling with poverty and internal conflict. / Photo: AFP
Sudan's army has been battling to defend a military-industrial complex believed to contain large stocks of weapons and ammunition in southern Khartoum, close to fuel and gas depots that are at risk of exploding, residents said.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), in the eighth week of a power struggle with the army, had attacked the area containing the Yarmouk complex late on Tuesday before retreating after heavy fighting, witnesses said.
Clashes could still be heard on Wednesday morning.
"Since yesterday there has been a violent battle with the use of planes and artillery and clashes on the ground and columns of smoke rising," Nader Youssef, a resident living near Yarmouk, told Reuters by phone.
Due to the proximity of fuel and gas depots, "any explosion could destroy residents and the whole area", he said.
The conflict has wreaked havoc on the capital, triggered new outbursts of deadly violence in the long volatile western region of Darfur, and displaced more than 1.9 million people.
Most health services have collapsed, power and water are often cut, and looting has been spreading.
Weeks of intense fighting
The RSF quickly seized swathes of the capital after war erupted in Khartoum on April 15.
Army air strikes and artillery fire have shown little sign of dislodging them, but as the fighting drags on the RSF may face a challenge restocking with ammunition and fuel.
Fighting across the three cities that make up Sudan's greater capital region — Khartoum, Bahri and Omdurman — has picked up since a 12-day ceasefire formally expired on June 3 after repeated violations.
The fighting derailed the launch of a transition towards civilian rule four years after a popular uprising ousted president Omar al Bashir.
The army and RSF, which together staged a coup in 2021, fell out over the chain of command and military restructuring plans under the transition.
More than 1,428,000 people have been driven from their homes within Sudan and a further 476,800 have fled into neighbouring countries, according to estimates published on Tuesday by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Sudan's health ministry has recorded at least 780 civilian deaths as a direct result of the fighting. Hundreds more have been killed in the city of El Geneina in West Darfur. Medical officials say many bodies remain uncollected or unrecorded.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.