Denis in the Sudanese capital: "A lot of gunfire right now"

4/17/2023, 7:06:13 PM

Highlights: Fighting between government forces and rebels continues in Sudan. humanitarian worker says he has no intention of leaving the country. "If we leave, people will be worse off," says humanitarian worker Denis Semakula. He has not been able to go out since the fighting began on Saturday. For more, visit CNN.com/sudan and follow us on Twitter @CNNSudan. for more information on the conflict in Sudan, visit www.cnn.org/susan.

Fighting between the army and the paramilitary RSF continues in Sudan. In the capital Karthoum, Denis Semakula of the Medical Mission hardly dares to look out of his windows. "There's a lot of gunfire right now. You can hear them firing artillery and fighter jets flying over the city," he says.

Since Saturday, fierce fighting has been going on in Sudan between government forces and the paramilitary group RSF that is trying to take power. Denis Semakula from Uganda is head of Läkarmissionen's humanitarian work in the country, when SVT reaches him he is at his home in Karthoum.

He says he has not gone out since the fighting began and that he lives on the supplies he has stockpiled. From the streets there are regular shots and explosions.

"The situation is evolving so fast that it's hard to know what will happen. They fight with heavy weapons and it's hard to get an idea of what's going on," says Denis Semakula.

Will stay

Despite this, he and Läkarmissionen have no intention of leaving the country. Semakula estimates that around half of the country's population will be in need of humanitarian assistance as the already lack of access to food, water and electricity is exacerbated by the fighting.

"We want to stay here and help the people here in Sudan. Our mission is to help the people of Sudan live good lives. If we leave, people will be worse off.

Listen to Denis Semakula talk about the situation in Sudan in the video above.