"Insurmountable differences have arisen": Russia called on the conflicting parties in Sudan to cease fire

The events in the Republic of Sudan cause serious concern in Moscow, Russia calls on the parties to a ceasefire, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"The dramatic events taking place in Sudan cause serious concern in Moscow. We call on the parties to the conflict to show political will and restraint and take urgent steps towards a ceasefire. We proceed from the fact that any disagreements can be resolved through negotiations," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

On April 15, clashes between the Sudanese army and the rapid reaction forces began in the capital, Khartoum. Battles with the use of heavy equipment and aviation are taking place in the area of the Republican Palace, the main command of the Sudanese Armed Forces, the airport, the central market, as well as near military bases in the south of the city.

"The international airport is temporarily closed, bridges over the Nile River are blocked. It is also reported about the escalation of tension in the city of Meroe (500 km north of Khartoum). ... The Russian Embassy in Khartoum operates in a mode of increased security measures. There are no casualties among Russian citizens in Sudan," the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Earlier, the US authorities also expressed the hope that the conflicting parties would not take actions that could lead to escalation and would continue negotiations. Calls for easing tensions have come from Italy, Turkey and other countries, as well as the UN, the African Union and the EU.

Armed conflict

Clashes between law enforcement agencies in Sudan began on the morning of April 15. Each side claims that the aggressor is the enemy: for example, the army accuses special forces of attacking its headquarters, and the rapid reaction forces claim that the military attacked their headquarters in Khartoum.

The Sudanese army is subordinate to the country's military government, the Sovereign Council, headed by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the rapid reaction forces are subordinate to Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (Hamidti). The commander of the special forces said that he intends to arrest Al-Burhan and bring him to justice.

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According to media reports, the conflict was caused by disagreements regarding the prospects for the organization of law enforcement agencies in the country. As part of the transfer of power from the military to the civilian government, the special forces were to be integrated into the armed forces, but the military leaders could not come to an agreement on this process, which led to armed clashes.

On Saturday, there were reports in the media that the army carried out air raids on the headquarters of the RBU, and also destroyed more than 80 special forces vehicles in the city of Merov.

All approaches to the presidential palace in Khartoum were blocked, and the building itself is surrounded by armored vehicles of the Sudanese army, reports Sky News Arabia.

In turn, the Sudanese special forces announced control over the airports in Khartoum and Merov, and the Al-Hadath TV channel clarified that several Russian-made fighters were captured in Merov. At the same time, the army also assures that it controls the air harbors of Khartoum and Merove.

Sudanese television interrupted broadcasting after reports of a shooting at its headquarters, the capture of which by special forces was subsequently reported by the media.

According to Al Jazeera, skirmishes and battles also took place near the headquarters of the country's air force.

The Rapid Reaction Force announced the seizure of the residence of the commander of the troops, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, but the army denied these claims. The head of the security of the Sovereign Council (the country's governing body) said that al-Burhan is in a safe place and personally monitors the actions of the military.

Al-Burhan does not rule out the transfer of additional units to Khartoum from other regions if clashes with the rapid reaction forces continue.

The commander of the Sudanese special forces, Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, called the confrontation with the army forced and predicted that the outcome of the battle would be decided in the coming days.

The head of the special forces also said that his structure is committed to the framework agreement concluded between the military and civilian forces of the country. Daglo added that the rapid reaction forces do not intend to surrender and will not negotiate with the army until it retreats. In turn, the Sudanese army ruled out negotiations with the rapid reaction forces until they are disbanded, Al-Sharq TV reported.

After fierce fighting in the first half of the day, their intensity began to decrease, but in the evening reports of skirmishes began to appear in the media again, including in the area of the military base in Merov.

According to Al Arabiya, at least five civilians were killed in clashes in the town of Nyala in Southern Darfur. Five more casualties are reported in northern Khartoum. Earlier it was reported that fighting was going on in the area of Nyala International Airport. In addition, according to some reports, Sudanese special forces managed to capture the airport of the administrative center of the state of Western Darfur.

At the same time, as reported by RIA Novosti with reference to the General Security Service of Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan issued a decree on the disbandment of the RBU.

Political instability

In an interview with RT, military translator and Africanist Andrei Esipov described the events in Sudan as a manifestation of internal political instability that followed the 2019 military coup, when President Omar al-Bashir, who had been in power for 30 years, was removed from his post.

"The two powerful forces of Sudan that were involved in this coup have insurmountable differences. This is an exclusively internal struggle, which will in no way affect the country's foreign policy ties, including its relations with Russia. Regardless of the outcome of current events, the party that will receive full power in Sudan will build a further dialogue with all its partners, including Moscow, "Yesipov said.

The current situation has led to an equivalent strengthening of competing law enforcement agencies, the analyst believes.

"When the previous president was overthrown in 2019, all structures joined this process, which further increased their forces without any oversight due to the lack of centralized civilian power. The result of this was today's events. This is a civil conflict between the militarized structures of one country. They decide which of them is stronger, "says the specialist.

He does not rule out that the configuration of power in Sudan may change as a result of current events, but this is unlikely to destabilize the region.

"Even if one of the parties unequivocally wins, it will have to assure its neighbors that it is negotiable, controls the whole of Sudan and is able to comply with its international obligations," Yesipov concluded.