A power struggle between two leading generals in Sudan that started earlier this month escalated into a full-blown military clash that has prompted embassies in the Northeastern African nation to evacuate.
With the two sides driving Sudan to a de facto civil war, the death toll has shot up to over 413, with 3,551 wounded since April 15, according to figures from Sudanese officials. Experts believe the real toll is higher. Meanwhile, there are over an estimated 16,000 United States citizens registered in Sudan, as the U.S. military completed an emergency evacuation of embassy personnel late Saturday night.
US EMBASSY IN SUDAN EVACUATED AFTER FAILED CEASEFIRE SPARKS WORSENING UNREST
Underlying the bloodshed is a fight between Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who oversees the military, and Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The two previously banded together to oust Omar al-Bashir, a dictator who led the country for nearly 26 years against the backdrop of intense popular protests. A transitional government was then put in place, but the two generals led a coup in 2021 to topple that civilian control. Gen. Burhan has effectively ruled as the head of Sudan since.
From there, foreign pressure, including from the United Nations, U.S., and other Western nations, began to mount, demanding the Sudanese military relinquish power and allow civilian control to resume. But the generals were torn over how control of the military and its assets would be divided.
On April 15, simmering tensions finally reached the tipping point, and warfare broke out within Sudan's capital and several metropolitan areas. Both generals traded blame on the other for igniting the dangerous conflict.
As a result of the deadly fighting, Sudan’s healthcare system has collapsed, further deteriorating conditions for those wounded in the crossfire between the two factions.
Prior to the war, over a third of Sudan's roughly 45 million population was straddled with hunger and acute poverty due to a myriad of regional skirmishes and economic strife. The warfare is likely to worsen those conditions and could badly damage the nation's infrastructure, rendering recovery efforts more difficult.
On Friday, RSF announced a ceasefire, and the Sudan Armed Forces declared a three-day reprieve from fighting. Yet clashes continued over the weekend with no end to the conflict in sight.
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Washington D.C. has also closed its operations in Khartoum indefinitely as conflict rages on. The White House claims that all embassy staff has since been evacuated, and other countries, such as France and the United Kingdom, have taken up similar measures.
“I am receiving regular reports from my team on their ongoing work to assist Americans in Sudan, to the extent possible,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “We are also working closely with our allies and partners in this effort.”