(CNN) The Sudanese military leader condemned what he called an “attempted coup” after a day of intense fighting left nearly 100 people dead in the country and saw hospitals being attacked by rockets as they struggled to save lives.
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who has been embroiled in a bloody power struggle that has gripped Sudan for three days, told CNN that the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is leading “an attempted coup and rebellion against the state.”
Clashes erupted on Saturday between the country’s military and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, who told CNN on Sunday the army had broken a temporary humanitarian ceasefire brokered by the United Nations.
Burhan, who along with Dagalo ousted Sudan’s longtime leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and played a key role in the military coup two years later, said his former ally had “mutined” against the state and would face trial if captured Court.
On Monday, residents of the capital Khartoum heard the sound of artillery and bombing raids from fighter jets. Eyewitnesses told CNN they heard mortar fire in the early hours of the morning. Fighting intensified after dawn prayers towards Khartoum International Airport and Sudanese Army garrison locations.
Hospitals across the country – which lack blood supplies and life-saving equipment – are being attacked with military strikes by both the army and the RSF, eyewitnesses told CNN and two medical organizations, leaving medical staff unable to reach the wounded and dead to bury.
A doctor at a hospital in Khartoum – whom CNN does not name for security reasons – said his facility had been attacked since Saturday. “The maternity ward was hit directly. We could hear heavy guns and were lying on the ground with our patients. The hospital itself was attacked.”
CNN has reached out to the Sudanese military and RSF for comment.
Another doctor from the same al-Moallem hospital told CNN that the hospital staff stayed at the scene for two days under fire from the RSF before being evacuated by the Sudanese military. “We lived in a real struggle,” the doctor said. “Can you believe that we left the hospital, leaving children in incubators and patients in intensive care without medical staff? I can’t believe I survived dying in the hospital where the smell of death is everywhere.”
Armistice dispute
The sound of gunfire could be heard in the background as Burhan spoke to CNN at 4 p.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) Monday despite an agreed ceasefire. He claimed the RSF leader violated the agreed ceasefire for a second day.
“Yesterday and today a humanitarian ceasefire proposal was presented and agreed. Unfortunately he didn’t stick to it. Attempts to storm the army headquarters and indiscriminate mortar attacks are being heard. He is using the humanitarian hiatus to continue fighting,” he said.
Asked about the allegation, a spokesman for the RSF told CNN that the RSF is trying to abide by the ceasefire, but “they keep firing, leaving no choice” other than for the RSF to “defend itself by… shoots back”.
Smoke billowed over the capital on Monday amid heavy fighting.
Hemedti said on Monday his group would pursue the leader of the Sudanese armed forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan “and bring him to justice” while the Sudanese army urged the paramilitary fighters to join the forces.
Verified video footage shows military jets and helicopters approaching the airport; other clips show the charred remains of the Army General Command building nearby after it was set on fire on Sunday.
Residents in neighborhoods east of the airport told CNN they saw fighter jets bombing locations east of the command. “We saw explosions and smoke rising from Obaid Khatim Street, and immediately after that, anti-aircraft artillery fired massively at the planes,” said an eyewitness.
Confusion Amid the Crisis
Amidst the chaos, both factions in the battle work to portray a sense of control in the capital. The armed forces said on Monday the Rapid Support Forces were spreading “lies to mislead the public” and reiterated that the army was in “full control of all of its headquarters” in the capital, Khartoum.
Sudan’s national state television channel resumed airing on Monday, a day after dark, broadcasting messages in support of the army.
A banner on the channel said: “The armed forces were able to regain control of the national broadcaster after repeated attempts by militias to destroy its infrastructure.” Although the armed forces appear to be in control of the television signal, CNN cannot be independent confirm that the army physically controls the premises of the Sudanese TV station.
A satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows two planes on fire at Khartoum International Airport on Sunday.
A banner on the channel read: “Armed forces were able to regain control of the national broadcaster after repeated attempts by militias to destroy its infrastructure.”
Clashes and street fighting broke out in the Kafouri area north of Khartoum at dawn Monday, prompting residents to start evacuating women and children from the area, Sudanese journalist Fathi Al-Ardi wrote on Facebook. In the Kalakla area, south of the capital, residents reported that the walls of their houses were rattled by explosions.
Reports of battles in the eastern city of Port Sudan and western Darfur region, hundreds of kilometers away, also emerged over the weekend.
At least 97 people have been killed as of Monday, according to the Provisional Committee of the Sudan Doctors’ Union. Earlier Sunday, the World Health Organization estimated more than 1,126 were injured.
The WHO has warned that doctors and nurses are struggling to reach people who need urgent care and are lacking in essential supplies.
“Supplies distributed by WHO to health facilities prior to this latest escalation in conflict are now depleted, and many of Khartoum’s nine hospitals taking in injured civilians are reporting shortages of blood, transfusion equipment, intravenous fluids, medical supplies and other life-saving supplies means raw materials,” said the organization on Sunday.
Water and power outages are affecting the functionality of healthcare facilities, and fuel shortages for hospital generators are also being reported,” WHO added.
In the CNN interview, Dagalo blamed the military for instigating the conflict, claiming RSF “must keep fighting to defend itself.”
He speculated that the army chief and his rival al-Burhan had lost control of the military. Asked if his endgame is to rule Sudan, Dagalo said he had “no such intentions” and there should be civilian rule.
Amid the fighting, civilians were warned to stay indoors. A local resident tweeted that they were “trapped in our own homes with little to no protection.”
“All we can hear is one continuous explosion after another. Exactly what’s happening and where we don’t know, but it feels like it’s right over our heads,” they wrote.
Access to information is also restricted as the state-owned national television station is now off the air. TV staff told CNN it was in the hands of the RSF.
The service was suspended, the evacuations began
The conflict has put other countries and organizations on high alert, with the United Nations World Food Program temporarily halting all operations in Sudan after three staff members were killed in clashes on Saturday.
The United Nations and other humanitarian facilities in Darfur were looted, while a WFP-managed plane in Khartoum was badly damaged by gunfire, affecting WFP’s ability to transport aid and workers within the country, the international aid agency said.
Qatar Airways announced on Sunday that it is temporarily suspending flights to and from Khartoum due to the closure of its airport and airspace.
Dagalo told CNN on Sunday that the RSF controls the airport as well as several other government buildings in the capital.
Meanwhile, Mexico is working to evacuate its citizens from Sudan, with the country’s foreign minister saying on Sunday it wants to “expedite” their departure.
The United States embassy in Sudan said Sunday there were no plans for a government-coordinated evacuation of Americans in the country, citing the closure of Khartoum airport. It advised US citizens to remain indoors and seek shelter, adding it would make an announcement “if the evacuation of private US citizens becomes necessary.”
CNN’s Mostafa Salem and Celine Alkhaldi contributed coverage.