Last night in Khartoum, clashes broke out between conflicting parties in Sudan and continued until Friday morning, following the collapse of talks aimed at solidifying a ceasefire and alleviating a humanitarian crisis. This prompted the United States to impose sanctions.
According to Reuters, residents in Khartoum and the neighboring city of Omdurman reported that the army resumed airstrikes and increased artillery fire as the clashes persisted. There were no indications of any withdrawal of Rapid Support Forces from the streets and occupied homes.
Shihab al-Din Abdel Rahman, a 31-year-old resident from a southern district of the capital, stated, “We are suffering greatly from the war, and since morning, there have been intense sounds. We are living in terror; this is a real nightmare.”
The United States and Saudi Arabia suspended ceasefire talks on Thursday after a collapse in the negotiated ceasefire. Both sides were accused of occupying homes, companies, and hospitals, carrying out airstrikes and attacks, and engaging in prohibited military movements.
A senior U.S. official stated that Washington had imposed sanctions on companies affiliated with the army and Rapid Support Forces and threatened further actions “if both parties continue to destroy their country,” according to Reuters.
Sudan’s ambassador to Washington, Mohammed Abdullah Idris, said, “The Sudanese government… the Sudanese army signed the ceasefire in Jeddah and fully committed to it. If there are sanctions, they should be imposed on the party that does not adhere to what was agreed upon,” referring to the Rapid Support Forces.
Both sides exchange accusations of violating the ceasefire while the residents of the capital suffer under the weight of a war that has destroyed areas in central Khartoum and threatens to destabilize the wider region.
The ongoing clashes between the army and Rapid Support Forces over the past seven weeks have resulted in the displacement of 1.2 million people within Sudan and the flight of another 400,000 to neighboring countries.
