US convoy attacked as clashes rock Sudan's Khartoum for 4th day
Smoke rises from burning aircraft inside Khartoum Airport during clashes between the paramilitary RSF and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, April 17, 2023. (Reuters Photo)
BY AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE - AFP APR 18, 2023 12:47 PM
Despite international calls on warring parties to "end hostilities immediately," loud explosions were heard Tuesday morning in Khartoum, where militiamen in turbans and fatigues roamed the streets. A U.S. diplomatic convoy came under attack in Khartoum Tuesday as the Sudanese capital was rocked by explosions and fighting that has claimed nearly 200 lives over four days, despite growing international calls for an end to hostilities.
A weekslong power struggle erupted into deadly violence Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Battles have taken place throughout the vast East African country and there are fears of a regional spillover of the conflict that has seen airstrikes, artillery and heavy gunfire.
In a statement, G-7 foreign ministers meeting in Japan warned the fighting "threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and undermines efforts to restore Sudan's democratic transition." But despite their call for the warring parties to "end hostilities immediately," loud explosions were heard Tuesday morning in Khartoum, where militiamen in turbans and fatigues roamed the streets.
Terrified residents of the capital are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan watching from their windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake and smoke from fires triggered by the fighting hangs in the air. "Bombardments usually start around 4:00 a.m. and they continue for a few hours, but today they haven't stopped," said Khartoum resident Dallia Mohamed Abdelmoniem. Read More…
