by Alberto Magnani
As soon as the ceasefire is violated, the army deploys the war troops. MSF: It’s a disaster
4′ read
In the morning there was talk of a three-day truce for Id al-Fitr, the festival that celebrates the end of Ramadan. It blew up in hours, like all ceasefires declared and violated in less than a week of conflict. There has been no sign of relaxation since the crisis in Sudan, the clash that broke out in the capital Khartoum on April 15 between the regular army and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces.
The latest estimate from the World Health Organization, released on April 21, puts a total of “at least” 413 casualties and 3,551 injured. Sudan’s Health Ministry is raising the estimate to 600 casualties in an escalation sparked by the showdown between the two generals who hatched the 2021 coup: General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, chief of the armed forces and the country’s de facto leader, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemetti”, leader of the RSF and al-Burhan’s deputy in the military junta, disrupting the process of “democratic transition” began the end of the al-Bashir regime in 2019. After an increasingly intense one Sequence With airstrikes and firefights, the conflict may enter a new phase after the regular army has deployed its ground forces to confront the paramilitaries that have emerged as the heirs to the Janjaweed militias accused of brutality at the time of the Darfur War.
IOM operator and American citizen killed, evacuation plans on the way
NGOs working in the country speak of a “disaster” in a conflict that also openly targets hospitals, diplomatic missions and humanitarian workers. On April 21 alone, the killing of an International Organization for Migration employee and an attack – denied – on the French embassy were recorded, while the US State Department confirmed the death of a US citizen in the country on the afternoon of April 21. The early stages of the conflict saw an attack on the EU ambassador in Khartoum, the shooting of a US convoy, attacks on buildings occupied by United Nations staff and the deaths of three World Food Program (WFP) officials. in addition to reports of sexual abuse and violence against humanitarian workers. Western countries’ diplomacy is working to rescue the citizens who remained at the scene of the clash, along with the millions of Sudanese who have been armored in their homes or trapped between markets and Khartoum airport for days. The US, Germany, Spain and other governments have announced or are in the process of evacuating their citizens. Farnesina announces that it is “monitoring” the 200 or so Italians who are in the country, without commenting on any maneuvers for their repatriation.
The (failed) calls for a ceasefire and the risk of escalating conflict
But the heaviest impact can only fall on a civilian population already plagued by years of political instability and humanitarian emergencies, beginning with “food insecurity” that threatened over a quarter of the 46 million citizens of the third country, larger than Africa, in 2022. Observers fear the conflict will spread to the rest of the country, further threatening the stability of a region already wracked by the mix of political instability, economic stagnation and climate crisis.
Sudan, a strategic giant due to its geographical location and wealth in natural resources, is the focus of attention for a list of players that includes Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Cairo, fresh from the repatriation of over 200 soldiers, is seen as close to al-Burhan, ranked as a reliable ally – too – in tensions merging Egypt and Sudan against Abiy Ahmed’s Ethiopia. His rival Dogalo, who made headlines with his militias in the Darfur genocide, is said to be close to Russia, and some sources suggest a relationship between the paramilitaries and Wagner’s Russian contractors. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which are largely self-interested in the Red Sea coast, have taken a positive stance on both and are trying to defuse a conflict that could stretch well beyond the first budgets captured by international organizations.
They are not the only ones who have tried to appeal for the ceasefire that has echoed from the EU to Erdogan’s Turkey. The results are nil considering the various “ceasefires” announced so far have collapsed amid a wave of accusations between factions on the ground. The regular army is ready to negotiate after an effective defeat of the paramilitaries. The Rapid Support Forces and Dagalo himself, who are very active with their respective profiles on Twitter, accuse the regular armed forces of violating the ceasefire and not respecting the rights of Sudanese citizens. “We are fighting for democracy,” declared Dagalo himself at the beginning of the hostilities.
MSF staff trapped in Khartoum: millions of citizens at risk
French NGO Médecins Sans Frontières has spoken of a “disaster,” saying the medical supplies it has at its disposal could run out within three weeks amid a crisis that is forcing the closure of a growing number of hospitals and preventing the same movement to operators operating in Sudan. Camille Marquis, MSF’s Outgoing Advocacy Manager in the country, has been stranded with some colleagues in the country since the outbreak of the conflict and is witnessing firsthand the deteriorating humanitarian situation.
In written testimony provided to Il Sole 24 Ore, Marquis said MSF staff are unable to reach the facilities where they are supposed to work, particularly in West Darfur and its capital, Geneina. “Unless humanitarian workers can continue to work safely, provide aid and nutritional support, and patients cannot access treatment or reach a hospital without fear,” Marquis explains, “it means millions of children and other vulnerable people are at risk. “Even before the conflict, Marquis says, “a third of the Sudanese population was considered food vulnerable. Now we can only expect the situation to get worse.”
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