Sudan in April 2023

18 April 2023

 

1. U.S. Diplomatic Mission Vehicle Targeted in Khartoum (Al Arabiya). Sources from the U.S. Embassy in Sudan informed Al-Arabiya on Monday evening that the Rapid Support Forces targeted an armored vehicle from the diplomatic mission. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries…Earlier on Monday, the White House announced that U.S. officials have communicated with Sudan’s military leaders, urging them to cease hostilities without delay.
2. Al-Burhan Offers Pardon to Disarming Rapid Support Forces Members (Al Hadath). Sudanese Army Spokesperson Nabil Abdullah stated that his country is facing an attempted coup to seize power, urging the Rapid Support Forces to lay down their arms…The UN envoy to Sudan reported that the death toll has risen to 185, including both civilians and military personnel, with over 1,800 individuals injured since the conflict’s onset.

April 19, 2023

1. Gunfire Sounds during ‘Armistice’ on 4th Day of Sudan Battles (Al-Monitor). After international mediation, RSF commander Daglo, commonly known as Hemedti, said he would support a 24-hour armistice the army denied any knowledge of before later blaming the RSF for breaking it.
2. 16 Hospitals Out of Service in Khartoum (Sky News). A Sky News Arabia correspondent said that Al-Zaytouna Hospital, in the center of Khartoum, in the Al-Souk Al-Arabi area, was bombed, as patients were evacuated, and a patient died in the intensive care room due to the lack of electricity. 
3. Egyptian Students in Sudan Send Distress Calls to Return them to Egypt (Al Mayadeen). On Tuesday, local media reported that more than ten thousand Egyptians live across Sudan, at least half of whom are students studying in several Sudanese universities…[S]ome of these students spoke to the media and launched distress calls to secure their return to Egypt as soon as possible. Ambassador Amr Abbas, Assistant Minister of Immigration for Egyptians Abroad Affairs, said that contact was never interrupted with students and Egyptians in Sudan, pointing out that there are 5,000 students in Sudan out of 10,000 Egyptians who are there.

April 20, 2023

1. After Joining Forces to Seize Power, Sudan’s Army Chief and Deputy are Now Battling (Times Of Israel). Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, under whom Sudan has moved to cement ties with US and Israel, is locked in conflict with paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo for control of the country. With experts pointing to internal pressures on Burhan to nip Dagalo’s ambitions in the bud, the army chief sought to use the political process to curtail the RSF’s autonomy. However, it proved too little too late when the two generals turned on each other, with an all-out conflict erupting on Saturday.

21 April 2023

1. RSF Agrees to a 72-Hour Truce..and No Eid Prayer in Khartoum (Sky News Arabia). Clashes renewed in Sudan during the last hours of Thursday, while several mosques in the capital, Khartoum, announced the cancellation of Eid prayers after the return of fighting. The Rapid Support Forces announced their agreement to a 72-hour truce, starting from Friday morning.
2. Sudan’s Confrontations Continue for a Seventh Day… Rapid Support Forces Say Khartoum is waking up to a sweeping attack by the army (Al Jazeera). The Rapid Support Command said on Friday that the neighborhoods of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, are waking up on the first day of Eid Al-Fitr to the impact of aircraft bombs and heavy artillery in a sweeping attack by the army. In contrast, the Armed Forces Command said it is carrying out a ground combing operation in the entire state of Khartoum after what it described as “the success of a decisive aerial operation that targeted militia presence points in Khartoum at dawn today.”
3. Pentagon is sending Reinforcements in Anticipation of the Possible Evacuation of The US Embassy in Khartoum (Al Arabiya). A Pentagon statement announced, “We are deploying additional forces to the region to secure US embassy personnel and facilitate their potential evacuation from Sudan if necessary.” The statement did not disclose the number of reinforcements or their deployment location. However, a high-ranking US official later informed AFP that the extra US military personnel would be stationed in Djibouti.
4. Sudan Conflict Rages; Intense Efforts to Broker Eid Truce Underway (Al Hadath). The army added, in a statement posted on its Facebook page, that the head of the Sovereignty Council had received calls from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan, as well as the Qatari foreign minister and director of Egyptian intelligence.
5. After Mediating Return of Egyptian Soldiers, Can UAE End Sudan Conflict? (Al Khaleej Online). Sudan’s military and political situation is currently marked by uncertainty, and there are indications that the conflict may escalate into a proxy war in the region. Reports suggest that the Emirati military has supported the Rapid Support Forces. In addition, The Wall Street Journal reported on April 19, 2023, that Egypt had dispatched warplanes and pilots to assist the Sudanese army. Retired Libyan general Khalifa Haftar, an ally of Abu Dhabi, reportedly sent ammunition to the Rapid Support Forces.
6. Egypt: Egyptian Soldiers in Sudan Safely Reached the Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum (Al Hadath). The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the success of its efforts, in coordination and cooperation with the sister country of the United Arab Emirates, to secure the safety of the remaining Egyptian soldiers in the Republic of Sudan with the Rapid Support Forces and hand them over to the Egyptian Embassy in Khartoum.

 

April 24, 2023

1. S Evacuates Diplomats, Shuts Embassy in Violence-Torn Sudan (Times of Israel). A second US official confirmed that US troops safely left Sudanese airspace after airlifting American embassy personnel out of Khartoum’s capital. President Joe Biden ordered American troops to evacuate embassy personnel after receiving a recommendation from his national security team earlier Saturday with no end to the fighting.
2. Saudi Arabia Evacuates over 150 Foreign Nationals from Sudan (Arab News). Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry announced the “safe arrival” of 91 citizens, along with nationals from Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, Tunisia, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Canada, and Burkina Faso.
3. Borrell Announces Evacuation of European Union Mission from Sudan (Al Sharq Al Awsat). However, Borrell highlighted that the Union’s ambassador continues his work in Sudan, emphasizing that the Union “is committed to working to stop the fighting in Sudan and to assist all besieged civilians.”… Despite repeated calls for calm, with the most recent coming from Pope Francis on Sunday, the sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed throughout Khartoum and its surroundings on Sunday.
4. Sudanese Health Ministry:  30 Hospitals Out of Service; Injured Count Rises to 1,929 (Al Arabiya). The Sudanese Health Ministry reported that the Rapid Support Forces members attacked three hospitals in Khartoum… This occurred despite both parties announcing yesterday, Friday, that they agreed to a truce during the days of Eid al-Fitr, following a week of bloody clashes that left hundreds dead.
5. Sudanese Police Source:  Former Regime Figures Moved to Safe Location After Prison Break (Al Jazeera). A Sudanese police source told Al-Jazeera that [figures from] the former regime were kept in a safe place, after they were deported from Kober Prison (north of Khartoum), which witnessed a mass escape of inmates on Sunday. Earlier, a source in the Sudanese Ministry of Interior informed Al Jazeera that the number of escaped inmates is estimated to be in the hundreds, including prisoners sentenced to death, and noted that political prisoners were not among the group that fled.

April 25, 2023

1. US-Sponsored Three-Day Truce in Effect Throughout Sudan (Al Hadath). Despite the truce not being fully adhered to, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced an agreement between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, which included a ceasefire between them, commencing at midnight local time in Khartoum.
2. Cairo Confirms Killing of One of Its Officials in Sudan (Al Arabiya). Amid ongoing clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the death of the assistant Egyptian administrative attaché at its embassy in Khartoum.

April 26, 2023

1. The World Health Organization Warns of a “Significant Biological Threat” in Sudan (Sky News Arabia). “One of the warring parties is occupying a public health laboratory, which poses a very high biological risk,” said the representative of the World Health Organization in Sudan. He pointed out that this facility contains samples that cause measles, cholera, and polio.
2. 3.7 Million Internal Displaced by Sudan Conflict; Thousands Expected to Flee Abroad (Al Arabiya). UNHCR officials stated at a press conference in Geneva that they are preparing for the departure of 270,000 people across Sudan’s borders. This initial estimate includes Sudanese refugees crossing into South Sudan and Chad and returning those displaced from South Sudan to their homes. 
3. Sudan Faces Devastating Losses if War Continues (SNA Business). Moody’s confirmed that if the conflict turns into a long-term civil war, it will destroy social and physical infrastructure, resulting in permanent economic consequences. This will affect the asset quality of regional banks financing Sudan, increase the percentage of non-performing loans, and impact liquidity rates in the country’s banks.
4. Former Regime Leader Al Bashir is at the Khartoum Military Hospital (Al Arabiya). The leaders of the former regime leave Kober prison. Al-Arabiya sources: Nafie Ali Nafie, Ali Othman Taha, Awad Al-Jaz, and Ibrahim Al-Senussi are among the leaders of the #Bashir regime that left Kober prison.

April 27, 2023

1. Russia “Authorizes” Wagner Group’s Intervention in Sudan (Al Sharq Al Awsat). Lavrov stated in a press conference at the United Nations headquarters in New York that Sudan has the “right” to benefit from the security services of the “Wagner” group, which the West accuses of recruiting mercenaries worldwide.
2. Washington Clarifies Stance on Sending Military Forces to Sudan (Sky News Arabia). US State Department spokesman Samuel Warburg revealed, in exclusive statements to “Sky News Arabia,” Washington’s stance on the conflict and its efforts to evacuate its citizens from Khartoum, emphasizing that it has no intention to send any forces there.
   “There is no greater priority for the United States than ensuring the security and safety of its citizens in Sudan,” Warburg said.
3. Sudanese Army: No Negotiations with “Rebels”; Al-Burhan Approves African Initiative to Extend Ceasefire (Al Hadath). The Sudanese army stated that “the current battle is to force the rapid support militia to retreat and defeat them in Khartoum, emphasizing that the commander of the Sudanese army, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, will not travel to another country now to meet the rebel leader. Furthermore, the General Command of the Sudanese Army announced that Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan has agreed to an initiative proposed by the “IGAD” organization to extend the truce in Sudan for an additional 72 hours.
4. Sudanese Health: 512 Dead and 4,000 Wounded in Fighting until Yesterday (Al Arabiya). The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned that 61% of health facilities in Khartoum are closed, with only 16% operating as usual. He added that more deaths are expected in Sudan due to disease outbreaks amid the current situation in the country.