Sudan Unrest: Sudan is currently boiling under the ongoing clashes between the country’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the army. Tension had been building up for quite some time between the army and the RSF, who together then toppled a civilian government in an October 2021 coup.
According to a Reuters report, when the clashes broke out on April 15, 2023, both RSF and army blamed each other for initiating and provoking violence. The report further claimed that when the clashes had begun, it had raised hopes for Sudan and its people who hoped to escape decades of internal conflict, autocracy, and economic isolation under Bashir. Omar al-Bashir was the long-ruling autocrat in Sudan.
Here are top updates from Sudan that will give you a peek into the current situation of the country:
– The European Union will do its best to work out a political settlement in Sudan, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday, reported Reuters. Borell, as per the report, said that they cannot afford for Sudan to implode because it would send “shockwaves” throughout Africa.
– France in its evacuation mission rescued some Indians and citizens of 27 other countries from violence-hit Sudan, reported PTI. The French embassy in New Delhi on Monday stated that so far 388 people from 28 countries, including India, were evacuated. The embassy tweeted, “French evacuation operations are underway. Last night, two military flight rotations evacuated 388 people from 28 countries, including Indian nationals.”
– Switzerland on the other hand has closed its embassy in Khartoum. The embassy’s staff and their families have been evacuated due to security reasons, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Twitter. Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis on Sunday tweeted, “Our staff and their families have been evacuated and are safe.”
– At least 420 people have been killed since April 15 when the clashes broke out, as per a Reuters report. The rivalry between army and RSF has raised many concerns and the risk of a much bigger conflict that could draw in outside powers.