At least 56 killed, nearly 600 injured as Sudan clashes continue
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), a bloc of East African nations, has resolved to hold an emergency meeting to discuss measures to settle the conflict in Sudan between the army and paramilitary forces.
Advertisement
IGAD spokesperson Nuur Mohamud Sheekh told the Anadolu News Agency that the leaders of the member states would meet on Sunday and discuss the developments in the country as the military continues to clash with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for a second day.
After the hostilities began on Saturday, the leaders of neighboring countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia were urged to put an end to the violence.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, president of the African Union Commission, urged the sides in Sudan to immediately stop harming the country and the international community to make a work towards an end to hostilities.
Armed clashes erupted Saturday morning in Sudan's capital Khartoum and its surrounding cities between the army and a paramilitary RSF.
A dispute over military security reform, which calls for the RSF fully joining the army, had escalated into armed clashes between the two sides.
At least 56 were killed, and nearly 600 others were injured in Sudan after clashes erupted between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces in many parts of the capital Khartoum and other areas outside the capital.
The RSF announced that it had taken control of the presidential palace, a strategic guesthouse within the army's headquarters, and the Khartoum International Airport in the capital. The RSF also claimed to have seized control of Merowe and El-Obeid airports and other strategic sites in the states.
However, the Sudanese army denied the claims, stating that "all sites are under the control of the armed forces." On Saturday evening, the Sudanese Armed Forces issued a statement on social media that there would be no negotiations or dialogue until the RSF is disbanded.