Sudan clashes leave more than 60 dead

• Over 60 people have died and hundreds more have been injured in two days of fighting
• The Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force agree to a 3-hour pause in fighting to allow civilians to evacuate
• Neighboring Egypt, South Sudan offer to mediate between the warring generals
• Who is who in the clashes in Sudan and how did we get here? DW unpacks the conflict

At least 61 people have been killed and dozens others were injured as Sudan's armed forces (SAF) battled the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the country for a second day, according to the Sudanese Doctors' Union.  

The doctor's syndicate also said some 600 people were wounded in the fighting that broke out on Saturday.

Fighting continued into Sunday in the capital Khartoum and other parts of the country after months of tensions erupted between two rival military leaders.

The sound of heavy firing could be heard as the military urged people to remain inside their homes. Schools, banks and government offices would be closed on Sunday. 

Both sides claim they control key airports and other installations.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the military leader Abdel-Fattah Burhan and RSF leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, calling for an immediate end to violence and a return to dialogue.

Burhan overthrew long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Eighteen months later, the military and the RSF staged a second coup, upending a transition to democracy.

Disagreements between Burhan and Dagalo over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army have now turned into open conflict.

The armed forces, on its Facebook page, declared Dagalo a "wanted criminal" and the RSF a "rebel militia," saying there "will be no negotiations or talks until the dissolution" of the group.

In an interview with Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera, Dagalo accused Burhan of starting the battle by surrounding RSF troops. "This criminal, he forced this battle upon us," he said.

Here are some of the other notable developments concerning the fighting in Sudan on Sunday, April 16 

African and Arab leaders call for cease-fire

The African Union's top council called for an immediate cease-fire "without conditions," following an emergency meeting on the situation in Sudan. It asked the AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat to "immediately travel to Sudan to engage the parties towards a cease-fire." 

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan held separate phone calls with military leader Abdel-Fattah Burhan and paramilitary chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and urged both to end fighting, Saudi state media reported.

In a speech to an Arab League meeting on the crisis, Faisal bin Farhan said the Sudanese should be allowed to reach a settlement internally without foreign interference. The African Union's top council rejected any external interference too.

The UN Security Council also issued a rare statement calling for an immediate end to the hostilities and a return to dialogue.

The 15-member Council has not been able to agree on much since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as permanent members Russia and China have blocked resolutions they oppose.

Sudanese military and paramilitary agree brief pause in fighting

The Sudanese army and the paramilitary force battling it have announced a pause in fighting between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time (1400 to 1700 GMT).

The pause was to enable civilian evacuation, the RSF said.

A witness told Reuters news agency that firing appeared to have subsided, but gunfire could still be heard. 

World Food Program temporarily suspends operations 

The World Food Program said it would temporarily suspend operations in Sudan, a day after three of its workers were killed and two others injured in North Darfur.  

Cindy McCain, the executive director of the agency, said in a statement that, "We cannot do our lifesaving work if the safety and security of our teams and partners is not guaranteed."

About 16 million people, or a third of the population, require humanitarian assistance, according to the UN agency.

In a separate incident, the agency said one its aircraft was also "significantly damaged" in clashes at the Khartoum International airport on Saturday.

Egypt, South Sudan offer to mediate

Egypt and South Sudan, which border Sudan to the north and south, respectively, have jointly offered to mediate between the country's warring generals.

The Egyptian presidency said in a statement that President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and South Sudan President Salva Kiir spoke on the phone on Sunday. Both leaders called for an immediate cease-fire, urging both parties to de-escalate and resort to peaceful dialogue.

"The escalating violence will only lead to further deterioration of the situation, which could get out of control," Egypt's presidency spokesman said, citing the two presidents.

Egypt had called, alongside Saudi Arabia, for an Arab League meeting on Sunday to discuss the situation in Sudan.

The head of the Egyptian delegation told the AL meeting: "The Arab republic of Egypt stresses the extreme importance of ensuring the safety and security of all Egyptian interests in Sudan," Reuters news agency reported.

Regional, international mediation needed to calm situation

Regional and international players need to step in and attempt to mediate between Sudan's generals and de-escalate the fighting, Kholood Khair, the director of the Sudan-based Confluence Advisory think tank, told DW on Sunday.

Khair said she does not expect any stepping back from the conflict "until we see… a concerted international effort at a very high level." She warned that the situation was getting "more difficult by the hour."

"Unfortunately, we haven't seen the type of political heavyweights being engaged on the mediation side," she said.

RSF leader Daglo is believed to enjoy strong ties with Gulf countries, as his forces fought in Yemen alongside the Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels.

Burhan is meanwhile rumored to be close to Egypt, with unconfirmed reports saying he stopped in the country hours before his 2021 coup.

Both Egypt and Saudi Arabia have called on the Arab League to convene over Sudan later on Sunday.

Khair also said the appetite for a return to a democratic path in the country was still high but stressed the violence must stop first.

"There's still a lot of support throughout the country for democratic transition," she said. "We have to remember that this power struggle between the generals is by no means indicative of the broader politics that are taking place in Sudan."

Internet temporarily blocked on government orders

Internet access was briefly blocked in Sudan on Sunday amid the ongoing clashes between the military and the powerful RSF paramilitary.

The MTN telecommunications company blocked internet services in Sudan, following orders from the government telecommunications regulator, two MTN officials told the Reuters news agency.

Sudanese Twitter users also reported the internet outage.

A few hours later on Sunday, Reuters reported that the internet service was restored, also on government orders. Users confirmed to the news agency they were able to access the internet again.

Fighting 'even more aggressive,' Khartoum-based journalist says

Mohamed Amin, a journalist currently in Khartoum, told DW clashes continued on Sunday and that the situation was "even more aggressive" than Saturday with heavy shelling in the vicinity of the armed forces headquarters. 

He added that there were air strikes and artillery attacks against army headquarters, with both the military and the RSF claiming control over the vital facility.

Electricity has been cut from most of the capital city, Amin said.

"The clashes can be witnessed all over Khartoum and the sounds of the bombs and gunfire are everywhere," he said. He added that Khartoum's international airport remained shuttered for the second day in a row.

RSF accused foreign planes of striking bases in Port Sudan, Amin said, describing this as a "very new element" of the conflict.

Egypt says soldiers in Sudan for 'military drills'

Egypt's armed forces have justified the presence of its soldiers in Sudan, saying they were attending "military drills with counterparts in Sudan," after the RSF paramilitary claimed to have captured Egyptians fighting alongside the Sudanese army.

The Egyptian military was coordinating with the concerned authorities in Sudan to guarantee the Egyptian forces' security, an Egyptian armed forces spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday.

The RSF forces on Saturday released a video purportedly showing Egyptian troops it said had "surrendered" to them at the Merowe air base north of Khartoum. 

The video shows a group of men in military uniforms sitting on the ground, surrounded by standing RSF forces. One of the sitting men then speaks in an Egyptian dialect, identifying himself as a military officer within the Egyptian armed forces, and says he is the troops' leader.

Sudanese activists have repeatedly accused Egypt of meddling in their country's affairs, with a specific accusation to the neighboring country of supporting Burhan's 2021 coup.

Air strikes reported in Khartoum's sister city Omdurman

The Sudanese military has carried out air strikes on a base belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the city of Omdurman, eyewitnesses told the Reuters news agency.

The military said its troops had seized all RSF bases in Omdurman, but DW could not independently verify this.

Omdurman is close to the capital Khartoum.

Even before the air strikes, the Sudanese Doctors' Union reported that four people were killed in fighting in the city.

Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman, described, "fire and explosions are everywhere."

Sudanese air force calls on citizens to stay indoors

The Sudanese air force called on citizens to stay indoors as they conducted operations in the areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Fighter jets were seen flying overhead on Saturday.

The military said it launched strikes from planes and drones at RSF positions in Khartoum.

Khartoum International Airport was closed, and major international airlines suspended their flights to Sudan.

One eyewitness told Reuters they could hear sounds of explosions near the airport late on Saturday.

Fighting in Sudan is 'worst case' scenario

Fighting between the two groups was the worst-case scenario, Isma'il Kushkush, a journalist who watched their power struggle, told DW.

"This is the worst-case scenario that the Sudanese had hoped would never happen as they hoped for a transition into democracy after the 2019 Sudanese Revolution."

After Sudanese protesters toppled the regime of Omar al-Bashir in 2019, an agreement was made on transitioning the country into a democracy. It included both the military and the RSF, Kushkush said.

"That agreement — there were a number of issues that were to be dealt with — including justice and accountability… and the removal of the hands of the army and the Rapid Support Forces in the Sudanese economy. These were among the major issues."

"But really the major issue between these two groups is the issue of command. Does the Rapid Support Forces come under the direct command of the army?"

"There were many in the Sudanese army that were distrustful, that were discontent of the power of the Rapid Support Forces that didn't have the same traditional military training that the Sudanese army has."

This is one side of the story, Kushkush said.

"The other side is that many see that there are elements within the Sudanese army that still have connections to the old government of Omar al-Bashir. There was a great deal of politicking between both sides and the civilians on how to transition."

Diplomats call for end of hostilities and return to dialogue

The conflict has been widely condemned internationally, with the United Nations, the European Union, and the African Union calling for an immediate end to the hostilities.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke with Burhan and Dagalo and appealed for a return to dialogue.

The European Union's top diplomat, Josep Borrell; the head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat; the Arab League chief, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, all called for a cease-fire and for both parties to return to negotiations.

The Arab League, following a request by Egypt and Saudi Arabia, held an urgent meeting Sunday to discuss the situation.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council also called for an emergency session on Sunday.

In a joint call, Saudi, US, and UAE foreign ministers emphasized "the importance of stopping the military escalation," the Saudi Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom has called an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday to discuss the situation.

China also expressed concern, urging both sides to cease fire and prevent further escalation in a statement by its embassy in Sudan.

rm, rmt, lo/wd (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)