No end in sight for Sudan crisis
Sudan: Crisis escalates for civilians
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A series of ceasefires between the military ruler of Sudan and one of its largest paramilitary forces has failed to hold, escalating the crisis. The death toll in Sudan has now passed 400 with the casualties mainly comprised of citizens. Nearly 4000 people have been wounded according to local and international NGO’s.
A truce was declared that coincided with the three-day Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr collapsed on Saturday. The ceasefire was designed to be a window for thousands of Khartoum residents who have been trapped by the fighting to reach safety and visit family during the Muslim holiday of Eid.
READ MORE: SUDAN CRISIS EXPLAINER
Fog of war
In the fog of war and delayed reporting, it is feared that the real death toll could by much higher. Internet and phone services have been disrupted and appear to have collapsed completely in some parts of the country. Fierce urban battles have flared up in the centre of Khartoum and the its twin city of Omdurman. Civilians are trapped in their homes with no access to food, water, and medical supplies, resources that are increasingly scarce in the affected areas. Citizens also face power cuts, while soldiers and looters made it unsafe for those leaving their homes in search of essential provisions.
Evacuation attempts
In the escalating conflict, countries are rushing to evacuate their citizens from the conflict, although this has proved to be very challenging until there is a reliable ceasefire. On Sunday night, Germany and France said they had each evacuated more than 100 people from the capital. Reports from Khartoum suggested that a first attempt to evacuate French diplomats had failed when a convoy came under fire, with some passengers injured.
The conflict is a power struggle between Sudanese armed forces who are broadly loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country’s military ruler, while the militia forces known as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) follow the former warlord General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
Former Sudanese ruler, Omar al-Bashir had built up a network of security forces that he reportedly deliberately set against one another. Efforts to set up a civilian-led government failed after Omar al-Bashir’s ousting, resulting in tensions building between armed groupings.
Misinformation
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s controversial blue check twitter policies have resulted in the proliferation of fake news, misinformation, and disinformation in and around the conflict. Imposters have managed to “verify” an account set up to appear to be an official RSF account, which has propagated false information.
