04/21/2023
Army chief General Abdel Fatah al-Burhan ruled out negotiations and said he was confident the country would emerge from this situation together. He did not respond to the rebels’ suggestion that hostilities be suspended for 72 hours.
The clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (FAR) in Khartoum and other cities in the country did not stop overnight and actually intensified shortly before sunrise this Friday (04/21/2023). ), with bombings, gunfire and air raids recorded in different parts of the capital.
“During the night, numerous neighborhoods in Khartoum were and are still being shelled by the army and the Rapid Support Forces (FAR),” the doctors’ union said. Regular aviation does not hesitate to attack FAR bases scattered in populated areas of Khartoum, even if they are close to hospitals, added the same source, which estimates that 70 percent of all medical centers were down.
Despite calls from the United Nations and the United States for “at least” a three-day ceasefire to allow civilians to celebrate Aid al Fitr, which marks the start of Ramadan, the generals commanding the armed forces have not appeared to back down. Army chief Abdel Fatah al Burhan ruled out negotiations with his former number two, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, leader of the FAR.
balls over joy
Just as the paramilitaries announced their readiness to silence their guns for 72 hours to give the Sudanese some respite, Burhan appeared on state television for the first time since fighting began last Saturday to address the party . of Aid, in which he made no mention of a truce. “Our country is bleeding at this year’s aid: Destruction, devastation and the noise of bullets outweigh the joy,” he said.
“We hope that we will come out of this test more united, one army, one people,” he said in a military uniform between two Sudanese flags.
Al Burhan added that he hopes to overcome this ordeal “in a way that preserves the security and unity of the country and allows us to ensure a transition to civilian rule.” He also lamented the deaths, “the families who were displaced and the facilities and homes that were destroyed.” The latest death toll brings the death toll to 330 and around 3,200 injured, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
DZC (EFE, AFP)