International mediators have been trying for days to persuade the parties to a ceasefire in order to create humanitarian corridors. The promised ceasefire has already been broken several times. In the northeast African country, army and RSF militia units have been fighting fiercely since Saturday. A deal to integrate the RSF into the army had previously failed.
For civilians trapped in their homes, the situation has become increasingly desperate: food supplies are dwindling, electricity is out and there is no clean water. The prospect of an evacuation of people on Tuesday was dashed after a humanitarian ceasefire was broken just minutes after it took effect.
39 of the capital’s 59 hospitals and clinics were out of order due to ongoing fighting, the Sudanese Medical Committee announced on Wednesday. Some hospitals were bombed, others were attacked and looted, he said. The committee called for “urgent intervention” to protect medical staff and patients.
An official of the European Commission was meanwhile shot. The information was confirmed on Wednesday by a spokeswoman for the agency. According to her, he is chief of staff of the General Directorate of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) in Khartoum. He is Belgian and has been working there since 2019.
For security reasons, the spokeswoman did not provide information about the circumstances of the incident and the seriousness of the injury. She also declined to say anything about her current whereabouts. The “New York Times” reported that the man was seriously injured but not in mortal danger. He would have disappeared overnight from Sunday to Monday and was only found by colleagues on Tuesday.
The EU had previously confirmed an attack on the EU ambassador to Sudan on Monday night. Irishman Aidan O’Hara was ambushed and robbed at his residence by armed men in military uniform, according to the latest information. He was unharmed.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz described the situation in Sudan as difficult and threatening. In the event of a possible rescue operation, Germany will also try to allow citizens of other countries to leave the country, Scholz said in Lisbon, where he appeared to the press with Prime Minister António Costa. “The war between the parties that has now broken out in Sudan has suddenly reached the country. Many are very desperate in the country,” said the chancellor.
An evacuation of its citizens planned by Germany was initially called off due to the security situation. The planes took off from Germany on Wednesday morning but turned back because of the confused situation in Khartoum. The capital’s airport has been at the center of hostilities in recent days. Governments of different countries are also planning to bring their employees from Sudan to a safe place. Thousands of foreigners are still there, including many UN officials.
Austria does not plan to evacuate its citizens. The foreign ministry in Vienna said on Wednesday that due to the security situation, people could only be advised to stay in a safe place as a matter of urgency. According to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, around 45 Austrians are currently in Sudan, most of them Austrians residing abroad and their relatives.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 296 people have been killed and around 3,000 wounded since the fighting broke out. The actual number of victims will likely be much higher. Many of the wounded are unable to reach the hospital because of the fighting and, according to doctors, several clinics are also closed, occupied by fighters or shot.
The fighting is the result of a deep divide between the army and the paramilitary RSF, founded in 2013 by longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir, who was later overthrown jointly by the army and RSF. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo have been allies since taking power in 2019, despite some tensions.
In October 2021, both also led the military coup against civilian rule, halting the transition to internationally supported democracy. Dagalo, known as Hemedti, now calls the move a “mistake”, while Burhan continues to insist. Fierce fighting broke out between the two sides on Saturday. The international community urged both sides to stop this immediately.