Heavy fighting between warring factions shake Sudan's capital
Heavy fighting between the warring factions of the Sudanese defense forces has shaken the country’s capital.
Air strikes, street battles and artillery fire were witnessed in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Thursday and the major southern city of El-Obeid, residents told AFP.
"Artillery fire targeted paramilitary bases of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)," said a resident of El-Obeid, 350 kilometers (220 miles) southwest of Khartoum.
Army jets were striking paramilitaries, who were responding with anti-aircraft fire, said another El-Obeid resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In Khartoum's south, witnesses reported three air raids in the early hours of Thursday.
"The blasts were terrifying," one of the residents told AFP.
On Wednesday, the army accused the RSF of targeting a residential area in Khartoum in a drone strike leaving “14 people dead and 15 others injured."
Residents told AFP at least 13 civilians were killed in the strike.
The power struggle between the army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against his former deputy, RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo has killed more than 3000 people and led to the displacement of millions since April.
Burhan on Tuesday appeared in rare video footage soon after an audio recording of Daglo was released.
In the short video clip, the army chief can be seen carrying a pistol and an automatic rifle, while at the army headquarters as he greets the top brass of the army.
Daglo was last seen in a short video clip during the early days of the conflict.
The RSF commander, however, has released several audio recordings since April, the latest on Monday in which he told the Sudanese people that he was willing to "choose peace" but remained "ready for war."
The combatants loyal to him would fight until "victory or martyrdom," Daglo said.
The RSF chief also mentioned the vast western region of Darfur, which in the early 2000s saw a bloody war and has been hit by the worst violence since the start of the new conflict.
SS
