Khartoum - The African Mirror

Apr

20

2023

Khartoum’s fearful residents hunker down amid fierce street fighting

KHALID ABDELAZIZ and NAFISA ELTAHIR RESIDENTS in an affluent district of Khartoum feared there would be trouble when they found their new neighbour was a commander from a paramilitary force that protesters blamed for cracking down on them in the past. Those concerns proved well-founded this week when people were forced to hunker down in their homes as gunfire, shelling and airstrikes raged across the city in a fierce fight for power between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). "We knew a day like this would come," said Motasim, who lives a few buildings from Abdelrahim Dagalo, deputy leader of the RSF, the…

Apr

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Heavy gunfire quickly shatters Sudan truce

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ, NAFISA ELTAHIR and HUMEYRA PAMUK HEAVY gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan shortly after it was due to take effect under U.S. pressure on warring military factions to halt fighting that has touched off a humanitarian crisis. Loud shooting reverberated in the background of live feeds by Arab television news channels in the Khartoum capital region minutes after the agreed 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) onset of the ceasefire. Warplanes were roaring in the skies above Khartoum, a Reuters reporter heard tanks firing shortly after the truce was due to take hold, and a resident told Reuters he…

Apr

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Heavy gunfire quickly shatters Sudan truce pushed by US

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ, NAFISA ELTAHIR and HUMEYRA PAMUK HEAVY gunfire shattered a 24-hour truce in Sudan shortly after it was due to take effect under U.S. pressure on warring military factions to halt fighting that has touched off a humanitarian crisis. Loud shooting reverberated in the background of live feeds by Arab television news channels in the Khartoum capital region minutes after the agreed 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) onset of the ceasefire. Warplanes were roaring in the skies above Khartoum, a Reuters reporter heard tanks firing shortly after the truce was due to take hold, and a resident told Reuters he…

Apr

19

2023

By The African Mirror

Egyptian troops held in Sudan were not there to support any party -Sisi

NEWS

EGYPT President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egyptian troops held in Sudan were merely there to conduct exercises with their Sudanese counterparts and not to support any of the warring parties. After clashes erupted across Sudan between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army on Saturday, the RSF shared a video they said showed Egyptian troops who had "surrendered" to them in the northern town of Merowe, about halfway between the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the border with Egypt. The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking to members of the RSF,…

Apr

18

2023

By KHALID ABDELAZIZ and NAFISA ELTAHIR

Sudan rival forces battle in capital as UN sees little prospect for mediation now

NEWS

SUDAN'S battling factions both claimed to have made gains as continued violence cut power and water in the capital, and the U.N. envoy to Sudan said the two sides showed no signs of being willing to negotiate. Fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has killed at least 185 people and injured more than 1,800, said U.N. envoy Volker Perthes amid airstrikes and fighting in Khartoum and strife across Sudan. Their deadly power struggle has derailed a shift to civilian rule and raised fears of a wider conflict. Smoke hung over the capital, and residents reported a clamour…

Mar

20

2023

By The African Mirror

Analysis: Sudan paramilitary leader jostles for role ahead of civilian handover

NEWS

KHALID ABDELAZIZ THE leader of a powerful paramilitary force in Sudan has put himself at the forefront of a planned transition toward democracy, unsettling fellow military rulers and triggering a mobilisation of troops in the capital Khartoum last week. General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo commands tens of thousands of fighters in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and has amassed considerable mineral wealth. He is also deputy leader of Sudan's ruling council, which took power in a coup more than a year ago. Recently however, Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has pulled away from military colleagues and found common ground with…

Mar

08

2023

By The African Mirror

Khartoum’s yellow taxis stand idle as technology trumps tradition

NEWS

THE yellow taxis of Khartoum were once an enduring part of its colonial legacy. Now the vehicles, introduced in Sudan's capital under British rule in 1937 and last renewed as a fleet in 1978, bear the signs of numerous repairs, their paintwork chipped - and their often elderly drivers wait in vain for customers. They say they've been left behind by competitors who advertise using unregulated ride-hailing apps, and who drive newer cars. "We've raised generations of children off the back of this taxi. But our taxis are old now," driver Alrasheed Ahmed, who has had his since 1980, told…

Jul

20

2022

By The African Mirror

Sudanese forces tear-gas Khartoum street protests following deadly tribal clashes

NEWS

SUDANESE security forces fired tear gas as thousands of Hausa protesters marched in central Khartoum on Tuesday, days after tribal clashes killed dozens in southern Sudan's Blue Nile state. At least 105 people have been killed and 246 injured, according to Sudan's health ministry, following clashes between members of the Hausa and Funj tribes that began last week, stemming from land disputes. The U.N. said 17,300 people were displaced. "These aren't just protests, what we want is to get to the presidential palace and ask that the injustice towards the Hausa stops," said Haroun, a 22-year-old marcher. Others held signs…

Jul

02

2022

By EL TAYEB SIDDIG

Sudan security forces skirmish with demonstrators after protest deaths

NEWS

SUDANESE security forces fired tear gas at protesters near the presidential palace in Khartoum, a day after nine people were reported killed during the largest anti-military rallies for months. Protest groups demanding a return to democratic rule have said they will organise an open-ended campaign of sit-ins and other peaceful actions in response to the deaths. Medics aligned with the protesters said the nine people were mostly killed by gunfire from security forces in Khartoum and the adjoining cities of Omdurman and Bahri. Sudan's ruling council and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "The sit-in can develop…

Jul

01

2022

By The African Mirror

Six killed in Sudan as protesters rally on uprising anniversary

NEWS

SIX protesters were shot dead in Sudan, medics said, as large crowds took to the streets despite heavy security and a communications blackout to rally against the military leadership that seized power eight months ago. In central Khartoum, security forces fired tear gas and water cannon as they tried to prevent swelling crowds from marching toward the presidential palace, witnesses said. They estimated the crowds in Khartoum and its twin cities of Omdurman and Bahri to be at least in the tens of thousands, the largest this year. In Omdurman, witnesses reported tear gas and gunfire as security forces prevented…