Sudan: a situation still very volatile despite the ceasefire

In this image from a video released by the RSF, paramilitaries parade through the streets in the East Nile district of Greater Khartoum, April 23, 2023. (Illustrative image) AFP--

Text by: RFI Follow

3 min

The 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the United States enters its third day on Thursday, April 27. In Khartoum, the truce remained poorly respected on Wednesday. For Khartoum residents, the situation is particularly volatile

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On the second day of the ceasefire, clashes continued in the capital where army fighter jets flew over the northern suburbs, coming under heavy artillery fire from paramilitaries, witnesses told AFP. The eastern outskirts of Khartoum have been the target of intense airstrikes and machine-gun clashes have taken place on the southern outskirts, where a house of the paramilitary leader is located, according to other witnesses.

Khartoum therefore lives to the rhythm of periods of calm immediately broken by air strikes and heavy weapons fire. Depending on the neighbourhood, the intensity of the fighting varies.

Southwest of Khartoum, a resident told RFI she had a few hours of respite: no shelling or gunfire. But the lasting cessation of fighting, she does not believe. She is preparing to leave for an area protected from the conflict, 100 kilometers away: "It's a rural area, over there, there are farmers, many animals, a river... We will have enough to eat, live a normal and simple life. But for now, we're still looking for gas for the car. It has become very expensive.

In addition to gasoline, water, electricity and food are lacking. In the southeast of the city, this resident was able to take advantage of Monday's lull to buy food. But this Wednesday, there was no question of going out. "We heard a lot of bombs. It's a little hard to look out the windows of the building, because there are a lot of snipers on the roofs of the buildings. They target citizens filming the conflict. But we can clearly hear the noise, we can even feel the building shaking."

>> READ ALSO: Sudan: the UN Security Council is worried after a very partial ceasefire

Thousands injured, hospitals closed

For the head of the UN mission in Sudan, there is at this stage "no clear sign" of a possible negotiation between the two military leaders, while the insecurity is such that most humanitarian organizations have been forced to suspend their operations. Will they be able to resume and help the civilian victims of the conflict, when the latest assessment released Wednesday by the Sudanese Ministry of Health reports 512 dead and 4,193 wounded?

In Khartoum, "61% of health facilities are closed and only 16% are functioning normally. Many patients with chronic diseases, such as kidney disease, diabetes and cancer, do not have access to the health facilities or medicines they need," WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, hospitals are already "in a catastrophic state".

At the moment, we have the impression that the fighting has calmed down a bit, but there is still shooting, so we are still assessing the security situation. We are waiting for the situation to allow us to launch an emergency response.

Alyona Synenko, ICRC regional spokesperson in Africa

Florence Morice

>> READ ALSO: Sudan: mass escapes of prisoners amid chaos

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