Sudan: Death Toll Reaches 97 as Military, Paramilitary Forces Battle for Control

Heavy fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces continued into a second day Sunday as both sides fought for control of the nation. Despite growing diplomatic pressure, they have shown no sign of ending hostilities. The capital Khartoum and Omdurman were at the epicenter of the fighting with tens of thousands of fighters believed to be involved. At least 41 civilians were killed in Sunday’s fighting, bringing the two-day death toll to 97, with hundreds wounded. The country’s two generals, Abdel-Fattah Burhan and Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, former allies who jointly orchestrated an October 2021 coup, are now in a power struggle that has delayed Sudan’s transition to democracy. The United Nations envoy for Sudan, Volker Perthes, revealed that both sides had agreed to a three-hour humanitarian pause in the fighting, but violence still engulfed the capital. Diplomatic pressure is mounting from top diplomats, including the US secretary of state, EU foreign policy chief, the head of the Arab League, and the head of the African Union Commission, who urged the sides to stop fighting. The African Union’s top council also called for an immediate cease-fire, while the World Food Program suspended operations after three agency employees were killed in clashes.