Sudan turmoil live: 39 hospitals bombed out of service
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As clashes between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the People's Armed Forces enter their fourth day the number of casualties and deaths is on the rise.
The director-general of the UN's World Health Organisation, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said at least 270 people have been killed and more than 2,600 wounded since fighting began Saturday, without offering a breakdown of civilians and combatants killed.
The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) puts the number of deaths since the beginning of the clashes to 174 deaths and at least 1,041 people who have been wounded.
But the toll is believed to be much higher as bodies in the street have been unreachable because of ongoing fighting.
Out of 59 local hospitals in the capital and states adjacent to the conflict areas at least 39 are no longer in service, a Sudanese doctors' union said on Wednesday.
The situation highlights the heavy toll the conflict is taking on the country.
In a statement on Facebook, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors (CCSD) said that only 20 hospitals are now fully or partially operational even as deaths and injuries in the conflict mount.
Amongst the hospitals that no longer work "nine hospitals were bombarded, and 16 were forced evacuations," said the doctors union.
Ambulances are also being attacked by the military forces and many others were not allowed to pass to transport patients and receive aid added the union.
Regional leaders have said they are heading to Sudan on Wednesday in a bid to broker a ceasefire as clashes with the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Heavy gunfire and explosions are still being heard in the capital Khartoum, despite a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire that was to take effect late on Tuesday but has failed to hold.
The African Union (AU) was hoping for a short humanitarian ceasefire would also allow a delegation from Djibouti, Kenya and South Sudan to arrive for talks with Sudan’s de-facto leader General Abdel Fattah al Burhan and his rival Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo who commands the RSF.
So far international attempts at mediation have failed and there is growing concern that the country is sliding into civil war.
At least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since fighting broke out on Saturday.
There appeared to be little let up from four days of intense fighting in Sudan, with a ceasefire intended to take effect Tuesday evening shattered by the roar of warplanes, ripple of gunshots and tank fire.
At least 185 people have been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since violence broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to the UN. Others have suggested the death toll could be considerably higher.
Khartoum, the Sudanese capital which has generally been unscathed from previous conflicts which raged in border regions like Darfur, has suffered heavy damage including to hospital buildings.
Gunfire was heard throughout Khartoum into the evening, according to several witnesses, as terrified residents spent the final days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan sheltering in place as tanks rolled through the streets and smoke from fighting hung in the air.
”As of now, the fighting in Sudan including Khartoum and various other locations, is continuing. No sign of real abatement of the fighting," the spokesman for United Nations secretary general Antonio Guterres said.
The conflict stems from disagreements between Sudan’s two most powerful military commanders. On one side is army chief and de facto leader of Sudan, General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, and on the other is Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of Sudan’s paramilitary RSF.
Each side accused the other of breaking the truce. The RSF said the Sudanese army had attacked civilians in the first hour of the truce, violating “the rights of Sudanese citizens to life and medical treatment”.
The Sudanese army said the RSF had not abided by the cease-fire, using it to attack areas close to the airport and the military headquarters.
Burhan and Daglo, who goes by Hemeti, entered into an alliance to oust Sudan’s transitional civilian government in an October 2021 coup, but have fallen out over plans to integrate the RSF into Sudan’s regular army.
To read the full story by Mohammed Amin in Khartoum, click here.
Fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese military has spread across the country, with the United Nations reporting incidents of sexual violence and attacks against aid workers. There have also been reports of looting.
Neither side appears to be backing down. According to witnesses, pickup trucks carrying anti-aircraft guns stationed in residential areas across Khartoum were being resupplied with ammunition on Tuesday morning.
Underscoring the chaos, Washington confirmed that one of its diplomatic convoys was fired upon on Monday, and the EU said its ambassador was attacked at home the same day.
The White House said Tuesday it had no plans for a government evacuation, but advised Americans in the country to remain sheltered in place.
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The roar of warplanes, shooting and tank fire was reported across Khartoum, Sudan's capital, on Tuesday, squashing hopes that a 24-hour ceasefire supposed to take effect would hold.
Both the regular army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, accused each other of failing to respect the ceasefire in statements.
A UN spokesperson said the international body saw no indications of a halt in fighting.
"As of now, the fighting in Sudan, including Khartoum and various other locations, is continuing. No sign of real abatement of the fighting," a spokesman for United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said.
Martin Griffiths, the top humanitarian chief at the United Nations, said on Tuesday that the organisation had received reports of sexual violence and attacks against aid workers.
Underscoring the chaos, Washington confirmed that one of its diplomatic convoys was fired upon on Monday, and the EU said its ambassador was attacked at home the same day.
The White House said Tuesday it had no plans for a government evacuation, but advised Americans in the country to remain sheltered in place.
Witnesses who spoke to Reuters said that gunfire could be heard in Khartoum after the 6pm deadline when the ceasefire was due to start.
A Reuters reporter in Khartoum said he heard tanks firing after the ceasefire was due to begin.
Other witnesses also told AFP that pickup trucks carrying anti-aircraft guns - stationed in residential areas of Khartoum - were resupplied with ammunition Tuesday morning.
For months, the Sudanese people and those watching events in Sudan have remained fearful of the possibility of in-fighting between Sudan's Army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
Having maintained a marriage of convenience since the military coup of October 2021, the military entities - which have different sources of power, income and regional support - have turned on each other.
Sudan’s anti-democratic forces are at war, and the people are once again caught in the crossfire, fearing for their lives as they seek shelter from the SAF’s jet fighters and the RSF’s artillery shells and anti-aircraft guns.
MEE's Oscar Rickett takes a look at the events that led up to the fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Army.
Read More: Sudan and a decade-long path to turmoil
Decades of political uncertainty and events led up to the clash between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.
From the fall of former ruler Omar Bashir to the tensions between the civilian-led transitional government and the army establishment. Here's a timeline of what led up to street-fighting in Khartoum.
Read More: Sudan timeline: From the fall of Bashir to street-fighting in Khartoum
Aid groups on Tuesday urged Sudan's warring parties to guarantee humanitarian access for those in need as the death toll in the fighting neared 200.
"We have thousands of volunteers who are ready, able and trained to perform humanitarian services" in the country, said Farid Aiywar, the Sudan head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
"Unfortunately, due to the current situation, they are not able to move," he told reporters in Geneva, via video-link from Nairobi.
Aiywar called on all parties to allow humanitarian aid corridors to operate.
UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said the United Nations had about 800 international staff and 3,200 national staff in Sudan.
"We are of course worried for the security, they cannot operate in a regular way," she said.
Chinese citizens in Sudan were facing the risk of food shortages as fighting entered a fourth day, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
“The war happened completely without a sign on Saturday morning. It happened suddenly, so we didn’t prepare anything in our home,” an employee at a Chinese company told the newspaper.
“We didn’t stock up on food, and my family and I only have a few days’ worth of groceries.”
Beijing's embassy was quoted in Chinese media saying it would collect information on citizens and monitor the situation, before deciding on whether to carry out an evacuation.
“The Chinese embassy… urgently reminds Chinese citizens and Chinese institutions in Sudan to stay on high alert, strictly avoid going out and strengthen security precautions,” it said in a statement on Monday.
“[Citizens] should stay away from street-level rooms or windows to avoid being accidentally injured by stray bullets.”
More than 700 Chinese nationals reportedly live in Sudan, including overseas students and employees at private companies.
According to China's ministry of commerce, 130 Chinese companies were investing and operating in Sudan.
Forty-two Chinese medical team members have been deployed to two Chinese-assisted hospitals in Sudan, a member of the team told state broadcaster CGTN.
Sudan's warring parties have agreed to a 24-hour ceasefire starting on Tuesday evening, the army has said.
General Shams El Din Kabbasi, a member of Sudan's ruling military council, told Al Arabiya TV that the ceasefire would begin at 6pm local time, and would not last beyond the agreed 24 hours.
Earlier, there had been conflicting statements from the Sudanese Armed Forces about whether a temporary day-long ceasefire had been agreed to evacuate civilians.
Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan told CNN that the army would adhere to a "ceasefire" proposal put forward by the UN mission in Sudan, the African Union and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
But a short while later, his spokesperson released a statement on Facebook stating that the army was "not aware of any coordination with mediators and the international community about a truce".
The spokesperson accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of aiming "to cover up the crushing defeat it will receive within hours."
Several aid organisations have temporarily suspended operations in Sudan, as the violence rages on for a fourth day.
"This renewed fighting only aggravates what was already a fragile situation, forcing UN agencies and our humanitarian partners to temporarily shutter many of our more than 250 programmes across Sudan," said Martin Griffiths, the UN's emergency relief coordinator.
One third of Sudan's population, or 15 million people, face acute food insecurity and are in need of aid.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said it received 183 wounded patients at the only hospital in Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur. It stated that 25 of those patients died.
"The majority of the wounded are civilians who were caught in the crossfire - among them are many children," said MSF's Cyrus Paye.
On Saturday, three UN World Food Programme staff members were killed in Darfur, where humanitarian supplies have been looted, according to both MSF and Save the Children.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have rejected a proposal by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for a 24-hour ceasefire.
Earlier today, RSF leader Hemeti tweeted support for a day-long truce to evacuate wounded civilians.
But army chief and de facto head of state Abdul Fattah al-Burhan continued launching strikes across the country.
"We are not aware of any coordination with the mediators and the international community about a truce," the army's official spokesperson said.
"The rebellion's declaration of a 24-hour truce aims to cover up the crushing defeat it will receive within hours."
Hemeti had said that the army was "bombing densely populated areas from the air" in what he described as "flagrant violations" of international and humanitarian law.
The World Health Organisation has documented three attacks on health care facilities so far in Sudan, killing at least three people.
"Attacks on health care are a flagrant violation of humanitarian law and the right to health, and they must stop now," said WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris.
"It's absolutely critical for everyone concerned that those attacks stop."
She added that there was a severe shortage of lifesaving supplies at hospitals in Khartoum, and blackouts were putting pressure on the provision of basic services.
"It's so dangerous for anybody to move anywhere, which is making it so difficult for staff to actually get to the hospitals," Harris said.
The two warring sides have used hospitals, as well as schools, as locations for checkpoints and as cover from enemy fire, according to doctors and teachers.
One doctor told MEE they were facing "big troubles" in the hospitals because of shortages.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said Sudan’s health system was at risk of “collapse”.
"The truth is that at the moment it is almost impossible to provide any humanitarian services in and around Khartoum," Farid Aiywar, IFRC head of delegation for Sudan, told reporters on Tuesday.
RSF leader Hemeti has tweeted his support for a day-long ceasefire to evacuate wounded civilians.
"The RSF reaffirms its approval of a 24 HR armistice to ensure the safe passage of civilians and the evacuation of the wounded," he wrote, following a call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
"Unfortunately, the Sudanese Armed Forces has failed to honour this ceasefire, bombing densely populated areas from the air and endangering civilian lives.
"These actions are a flagrant violation of the foundations and principles of international and humanitarian law."
Hemeti added that the RSF was awaiting further discussions with Blinken on how to address "these violations".
