PORT SUDAN: Hundreds of families fled a northern suburb of Sudan’s capital Khartoum on Saturday after fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified around a key military base.
The recent surge in conflict, centered around the strategic Hattab military base, has exacerbated an already dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan.
Witnesses reported that on Wednesday, the RSF launched a major assault on the Hattab base, which serves as a critical military outpost in the region. The ongoing skirmishes have prompted the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, to respond with heavy artillery and aerial bombardments.
“Since this morning, the army has been firing artillery towards the south of Hattab while military planes are flying over the area,” one anonymous witness told AFP.
The violence has forced many residents to flee their homes. Nasr el-Din, a local resident who spoke under the condition of anonymity for safety reasons, described how the RSF “attacked houses south of the Hattab base, capturing citizens and killing others.”
He added, “Since early morning, hundreds of families have left for the north, carrying their belongings on their heads.” His account was corroborated by additional witnesses, highlighting the severity of the situation.
The conflict, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, has already resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions. This conflict has triggered one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises, with widespread shortages of food and medical supplies compounding the suffering of the civilian population.
UN experts have called for the deployment of an “independent and impartial force” to safeguard the millions of civilians who have been displaced by the conflict. Their report, based on an independent fact-finding mission mandated by the Human Rights Council, revealed “harrowing” violations by both warring sides, potentially constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The situation is further aggravated by acute hunger, with more than 25 million people—approximately half of Sudan’s population—facing severe food insecurity. The crisis has reached alarming levels in Darfur, where a camp for displaced persons has declared a full-blown famine.
World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has commenced a two-day visit to Port Sudan, which has become the seat of government following the conflict’s displacement of authorities from Khartoum.
During his visit, Ghebreyesus is scheduled to meet with health officials and visit medical facilities to assess the impact of the crisis on public health and humanitarian efforts.
