Amidst reports of firing in the Sudanese capital on Saturday morning amid tensions between the military and the country's powerful paramilitary forces, Indians in Sudan have been asked to take shelter. According to reports, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces claim to have taken control over the presidential palace, the residence of army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Khartoum's international airport.
The Indian Embassy in Khartoum issued an update stating, "In view of reported firings and clashes, all Indians are advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and stop venturing outside with immediate effect. Please also stay calm and wait for updates."
Tensions between the military and the Rapid Support Forces, as the paramilitary is known, have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country's democratic transition.
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The Rapid Support Forces issued a statement on Saturday morning, accusing the army of attacking its forces at one of its bases in South Khartoum. The military used light and heavy weapons in the attack, it said.
Tensions prevailing between the army and the paramilitary have stemmed from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process. The merger is a key condition of Sudan's unsigned transition agreement.
However, the army-RSF rivalry dates back to the rule of autocratic President Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019. Under the former president, the paramilitary force, led by powerful Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, grew out of former militias known as the Janjaweed that carried out a brutal crackdown in Sudan's Darfur region during the decades of conflict there.
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(With inputs from AP)
