US urges Sudan’s military leaders to stop fighting

ISTANBUL (AA) – The United States has called on Sudan’s top military leaders to stop fighting amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting,” US Ambassador in Khartoum, John Godfrey, said in a statement.

Godfrey termed the escalation of tensions within the military component as “extremely dangerous.”

“I just arrived late last night in Khartoum and woke up to the deeply disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting. I am currently sheltering in a place with the Embassy team, as Sudanese throughout Khartoum and elsewhere are doing,” he added.

Fighting broke out early Saturday between the Sudanese army and RSF fighters in Khartoum, with gunfire and bombs heard near the army headquarters and presidential palace, according to reporters in Khartoum.

While the RSF accused the army of attacking its forces south of Khartoum with light and heavy weapons, the military accused the paramilitary force of “spreading lies” and declared it a “rebel” group.

The dispute between the two sides came to the surface when the army said recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal, with their rift centering around a proposed transition to civilian rule.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021 when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok’s transitional government and declared a state of emergency.

Sudan’s transitional period which started in August 2019 was scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.