Sudan: Intense Clashes and Mass Displacement in Omdurman and Khartoum

Clashes have resurfaced with various heavy and medium weapons in the old neighborhoods of Omdurman, while fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces intensified this morning in the Abu Rof neighborhood and in the city center. The army conducted heavy airstrikes and artillery shelling this morning, targeting the positions of the Rapid Support Forces in the Arkwit, Riyadh, Fardous, and Mamoura neighborhoods east of Khartoum, coinciding with a mass exodus of residents from the city. Activists in the eastern neighborhoods of Omdurman reported at least nine civilian deaths. One resident of the capital, Nader Abdullah, told Reuters via phone, "The situation is terrifying in Omdurman; there are gunfire and artillery sounds, and aerial bombardment. Attacks are coming from all directions." The positions of the Rapid Support Forces near the Sports City and the Military Ground south of Khartoum were also targeted. For its part, the Rapid Support Forces announced their rejection of a peace initiative aimed at ending the war, which was revealed by the Vice President of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Malik Agar. Ahmed Abdin, a member of the advisory office of the Rapid Support Forces leader, denied the existence of a government in Sudan, affirming that they do not recognize the legitimacy of the political position held by Malik Agar.