CAIRO (Reuters) – Heavy clashes erupted in parts of Bahri, a city in Sudan, on Friday, as warring factions continued their fight. This comes a day after both sides welcomed a new mediation effort aimed at ending the three-month war. The conflict, which started on April 15, has forced civilians to flee the capital region and has led to ethnically motivated attacks in the Darfur region.
Despite regional and international mediation efforts, the fighting has persisted, raising concerns of a potential civil war in Sudan. In an attempt to find a solution, a new mediation initiative was launched in Egypt on Thursday. Both the army, which has close ties to Egypt, and the RSF paramilitary group expressed support for this effort.
However, residents of northern Bahri reported heavy clashes between the two sides, centered around the Halfaya bridge. While the RSF quickly expanded its presence across the capital when the conflict first broke out, the army has mainly relied on air and artillery strikes, which have had limited impact. Recently, the army has increased its ground operations, particularly in Omdurman.
According to eyewitnesses, the clashes in Bahri involved air strikes, artillery fire, and gunshots, which continued into the afternoon. An army source claimed that they had successfully pushed the RSF out of neighborhoods in the far north of the city in the morning. However, the RSF released a statement disputing this, asserting that they were able to defeat the army forces and allegedly kill hundreds.
In response, the Sudanese army announced that they had launched ground operations in all three cities of the capital and asserted their success, although they acknowledged some losses in Bahri. They also dismissed the RSF’s claims, stating that the number of casualties presented was exaggerated.
Additionally, residents in the wider capital area experienced a communications outage for several hours in the morning. There were also reports of clashes around an army base in southern Khartoum.
The situation remains tense as the mediation efforts continue. Both sides must find a way to de-escalate the conflict and work towards a sustainable peace agreement. The international community is closely monitoring the situation in Sudan, hoping for a peaceful resolution. (Reporting by Nafisa Eltahir in Cairo and Khalid Abdelaziz in DubaiEditing by Frances Kerry)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
