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Sudan’s main paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the regular armed forces engaged in gunfire in Khartoum and other areas of the country on April 15. The RSF claimed to have seized strategic sites in Khartoum and Merowe, including the presidential palace and the army chief’s residence, but the army denied these allegations. The situation on the ground was unclear, with both sides blaming each other for attacking first. The confrontation between the two forces could lead to widespread conflict and derail efforts to move towards elections. Civilian forces signed a draft version of an agreement in December that called for an immediate halt to hostilities, as three civilians were already killed as fighting spread to residential areas. The RSF accused the army of attempting a coup that is supported by the loyalists of former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who was overthrown in 2019. The RSF is headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who has been the deputy leader of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council since 2019. Chad closed its border with Sudan, while Saudi Arabian and Egyptian airlines suspended flights to Khartoum. International powers, including the United States, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union, all called for an end to the hostilities.
