Heavy gunfire and explosions were heard in Sudan’s capital Khartoum following days of tension between the army and a powerful paramilitary group.
Shooting and blasts took place on Saturday in the vicinity of Sudan’s army headquarters and the defence ministry in central Khartoum, as well as the presidential palace and airport, Al Jazeera reports.
Witnesses reported “confrontations”, loud explosions, and gunfire near a base held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in south Khartoum.
“The Rapid Support Forces were surprised Saturday with a large force from the army entering camps in Soba in Khartoum and laying siege to paramilitaries there,” the RSF said in a statement.
However, a spokesman for Sudan’s army said paramilitary troops attacked military bases.
“Fighters from the Rapid Support Forces attacked several army camps in Khartoum and elsewhere around Sudan,” said Brigadier-General Nabil Abdallah.
“Clashes are ongoing and the army is carrying out its duty to safeguard the country.
Smoke was seen rising from the airport and RSF said its forces had taken control of the facility.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said fighting was ongoing.
“We are hearing gunfire in the capital near the vicinity of the presidential palace in the northern part of the capital,” said Morgan. “Lots of confusion here with regard to what is happening at the moment. People are terrified.”
The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday when the army said recent movements by RSF – a powerful paramilitary group – had happened without coordination and were illegal.
The heads of the army and the RSF earlier told mediators they were ready to take steps to de-escalate the situation.
A confrontation between them could spell prolonged strife across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence.
Current tensions stem from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement.