Sudanese warplanes bomb paramilitary positions in Khartoum, despite the army and rival forces agreeing to extend a ceasefire.
This is the situation on Friday, April 28, 2023:
To fight
- The Sudanese army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend a ceasefire, but heavy fighting broke out in several cities. It included airstrikes and tank and artillery fire.
- Sudanese fighter jets bombed paramilitary positions in the capital Khartoum, while fighting and looting escalated in the Darfur region.
- The army said it controls most of Sudan’s territory, defeating a large RSF deployment in Khartoum, where residential areas have been turned into war zones.
- There have also been several jailbreaks, including from the maximum-security Kober Prison, where top aides of deposed leader Omar al-Bashir were held.
Civilians and victims
- At least 512 people have been killed and nearly 4,200 injured since the fighting began on April 15.
- The Darfur Bar Association, a human rights group, said at least 52 people were killed in attacks by well-armed militia groups on residential areas in the town of El Geneina.
- The conflict has limited food distribution in a country where a third of its 46 million population was already dependent on humanitarian aid before the latest fighting broke out. The World Food Program said the violence could plunge millions more into hunger.
- The Sudan Doctors Union said 60 of the 86 hospitals in conflict zones have stopped working.
- At least 20,000 people have escaped to Chad, 4,000 to South Sudan, 3,500 to Ethiopia and 3,000 to the Central African Republic, according to the United Nations.
Diplomacy
- Foreign representatives seeking to quell the fighting welcomed the extended ceasefire and urged its full implementation. Fighting has continued during previous ceasefires.
- In a joint statement, the African Union, the UN, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States welcomed the “willingness of both sides to engage in dialogue to move towards a more sustainable end to the hostilities and to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access”.
- About 16,000 people entered Egypt from Sudan, including 14,000 Sudanese citizens.
- Foreign governments have made efforts to get thousands of their citizens out, and British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly urged the British to leave while they still can.
- The White House also said it was deeply concerned about ceasefire violations. It said the situation could worsen at any time and urged US citizens to leave within 24 to 48 hours.