Chaos prevails in Sudan, where fighting broke out yesterday Holy Saturday between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary organization Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the capital Khartoum.

The Sudanese Army announced that the paramilitary group had attempted to attack several positions of its troops, while the RSF accused the Army of instigating the clashes.

At the same time, the RSF announced that it had placed the Presidential Palace under its control, along with the residence of the Chief of the Army, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the international airport in Khartoum.

In the statement, the RSF said they still have control of two other airports, the military base in the northern city of Merowe as well as the airport in the southern Sudanese city of El Obeid.

Meanwhile, Sudan’s Air Force is conducting operations against attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF), the military said in a statement, as clashes spread across the country.

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Two Greeks were reportedly seriously injured by a rocket that hit a church in Sudan, where bloody conflicts are raging.

According to ERT, at the time of the service of the first Resurrection, the church was surrounded by armored vehicles and a rocket hit it, injuring two Greeks. According to the testimony of the Metropolitan of Nubia and all of Sudan Savvas, two Greeks coming out of the church heading to their home (they live in the Greek community) were hit by a rocket and were seriously injured and are now hospitalized.

The Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement with instructions for Greek citizens in the African country.

In detail:

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, considering the security situation in Sudan, recommends that Greek citizens avoid non-essential travel to this country.

At the same time, Greek citizens who are already there are advised to check on developments regularly to avoid unnecessary travel and to observe security measures to the best extent possible.

Greece does not have a diplomatic authority in Sudan, our Embassy in Cairo is responsible (contact numbers (00202) 27955915, (00202) 27959443, (00202) 27951074, and emergency number 00201 220940119).”

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Egypt expresses its great concern about the ongoing conflicts in Sudan, as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cairo said in a statement.

At the same time, it calls on the parties involved to show restraint. Cairo is coordinating with Sudanese authorities on the security of Egyptian Forces.

The Egyptian military is closely monitoring the situation in Sudan and is coordinating with the relevant Sudanese authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian Forces, said Army Spokesman, Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez.

His statement came as the paramilitary Rapid Support Force of Sudan released a video depicting Egyptian troops “surrendering” in the northern Sudanese town of Merowe, in the wake of clashes between the paramilitary group and the Sudanese Army.

There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in the city of Merowe, but Egyptian and Sudanese Forces periodically hold joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.

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Until 2011 Soudan was the largest and most socially receptive country in Africa. Twelve years ago, a large percentage, mainly of the country’s Christians, requested its independence through a referendum.

The Government of the country accepted the result of the referendum and the country was divided. The Northern part of the country basically consists of Arab-Muslim populations. South Sudan is an independent entity and despite the then “blessings” of the Northern part of the country, the country is often torn by civil wars, which are mainly aimed at the ones controlling the rich oil fields.

Within 12 years, two rounds of civil war in the region are estimated to have resulted in the death of more than 1.5 million people, while until today’s new flare-up in the capital of the country, a conflict is raging in the east, which has displaced more than 2 million civilians and has claimed the lives of 200,000 people.

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How did we end up where we are today?

In October 2021, with a coup, military circles consisting mainly of Generals took power in the country. The military council that holds Sudan’s fate in its hands is headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Buran.

Al Buran is also the head of the country’s Army. Vice President of the Council and number two in the hierarchy is General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo who has created his own military-paramilitary group, the RSF.

Dagalo and Buran recently agreed that the RSF paramilitaries would join the tactical Army and take on specific responsibilities and roles and Dagalo claims that the two Generals also agreed on the command of the Army. The succession from Buran’s side seems not to have followed the timetable that had been set and which would essentially give the one holding second place in the administration all the firepower in the country.

Today in Sudan there is essentially a conflict of interests between the two most powerful coup leaders in the country, a development that organizations and international organizations had warned about in recent months.

About RSF

The RSF (Rapid Response Force) is the strongest and most well-equipped paramilitary organization in Sudan. The RSF has been accused in recent years of human rights abuses, persecutions, and even massacres in various places both inside Sudan and abroad. The RSF has been involved in military operations in Libya and its members appear to have executed 120 civilians in cold blood in the center of the capital Khartoum during a sit-in protest.

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