Sudan updates: Internet outage reported across the country
The conflict between the army and paramilitary group RSF enters its second week as countries work to evacuate citizens.
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates on the Sudan conflict from Sunday, April 23:
The live blog is now closed, thank you for joining us. Here are the updates on the Sudan conflict from Sunday, April 23:
- A near-total internet outage has been reported in Sudan on Sunday as fighting persists between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), despite the announcement of a 72-hour truce by both sides.
- France says it has begun to evacuate its citizens and diplomatic staff from Sudan, where fighting between rival forces has entered its second week, the foreign ministry has said.
- United States President Joe Biden on Saturday said Washington was suspending operations at its embassy in Sudan as the US military evacuated American government personnel from Khartoum.
- More than 400 people have been killed and more than 3,500 wounded since the fighting began.
Germany evacuating citizens from Sudan
Germany has started evacuating citizens from Sudan, the foreign and defence ministries said.
Berlin is conducting “an ongoing evacuation operation … in coordination with our partners”, the ministries both said on Twitter.
“Our aim is to fly as many [German] nationals out of Khartoum as possible in this dangerous situation in Sudan,” the ministries said.
“Within the scope of our possibilities, we will also take EU [European Union] and other nationals with us,” they added.
Which countries have evacuated nationals from Sudan?
Several countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, have launched operations to evacuate their diplomatic staff and other nationals from Sudan.
Some of the evacuation efforts appear to be via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is directly located about 650km (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but is about 800km (500 miles) away by road.
Here is the latest on the evacuations.
Pope Francis calls for immediate end to Sudan violence
Pope Francis called for an immediate end to violence in Sudan, stating that the situation there remains serious.
Speaking during the traditional Sunday prayer at the Vatican’s famous St Peter’s Square, the pope addressed the developments in the northeastern African country.
“Unfortunately, the situation in Sudan remains grave, and therefore I renew my appeal for an end to the violence as soon as possible and for a return to the path of dialogue. I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters,” Pope Francis said.
What role do outside players have in the war in Sudan?
Fighting in Sudan between forces loyal to two generals is threatening to turn into a prolonged conflict.
The violence follows weeks of power struggles between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti and the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Many fear this may be the beginning of a much wider conflict.
Outside forces are further complicating the situation, with both sides receiving support from regional and global powers.
So, how will this conflict affect the future of Sudan?
First group of Dutch nationals evacuated from Sudan
Netherland’s Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra says a first group of Dutch citizens has been evacuated from Sudan.
Hoekstra said a “handful” of Dutch people had managed to leave Khartoum on a French plane, in what he said had been “a very complex operation” carried out with the help of France, Germany and other countries.
The minister said he hoped a larger group would be able to leave on Sunday night, using two military planes the Netherlands sent to Jordan last week to help with evacuation efforts.
A total of around 150 Dutch citizens have requested evacuation, the Dutch government said in a letter to parliament on Sunday.
Ireland sending team to evacuate citizens from Sudan
The Republic of Ireland says it is sending a team to evacuate its citizens from Sudan.
Following a Cabinet meeting on Sunday, the Irish government approved the deployment of an Emergency Civil Assistance Team (ECAT) mission to assist with the process of evacuating Irish citizens and their dependents from the crisis.
Up to 12 defence forces personnel would be deployed initially to Djibouti as part of the ECAT mission. They were due to arrive in Djibouti on Sunday.
The Irish premier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, said an estimated 150 Irish nationals were in Sudan.
France evacuates around 100 people from Sudan on first French flight
France’s foreign ministry says around 100 people of multiple nationalities have been evacuated from Sudan on the first French flight out of the country after a “complicated” rescue operation.
A second flight of another 100 people is expected to leave on Sunday evening, also heading to Djibouti, an official told reporters on condition of anonymity.
The official said evacuees had to cross the front line of fighting around the capital Khartoum to board the planes.
Crowdsourcing #safety: How Twitter is helping civilians in Sudan
A civilian network organised mainly through Twitter is helping Sudanese people where aid groups cannot.
The network – a reincarnation of an earlier one – started up on the first day of the conflict, April 15, with the setting up of vital updates on Twitter Spaces, the social media platform’s feature for live, audio conversations.
Some of the people on Twitter Spaces were not new to grassroots organising, but had led activist groups during the 2019 uprising that toppled former President Omar al-Bashir.
To read more click here.
Egypt embassy staff member wounded in Sudan
Egypt says one of its embassy staff in Sudan has sustained a gunshot wound.
“This affirms once again the necessity of exercising the highest degree of caution to preserve the safety of our citizens and members of our mission in Sudan,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement without giving details about the shooting incident.
There are thousands of Egyptians in Sudan requiring “a well-planned, safe and organized” evacuation operation, he added in the statement.
Also on Sunday, the ministry said Egypt has started steps to evacuate a number of its citizens from “safe areas” in Sudan.
Inmates break out of Khartoum’s Kobar prison
Hiba Morgan, Al Jazeera reporter in Khartoum, says inmates have broken out of a prison in the north of the capital, adding to the worries of the city’s residents.
“Kobar prison, which is in the northern part of the capital, was broken into and prisoners released. Prisoners said the humanitarian situation was quite dire inside the prison, which is why they broke out,” Morgan said.
“There have been calls to try to offer them assistance. It is also not the first prison break since the start of the conflict. In fact, it is the fourth one. Currently, there are no prisoners in the capital, Khartoum.”
“People are quite concerned. They say that they already have to face armed men on the streets of the capital as they try to make their way out of the city to seek safety and now they have to be concerned about the prisoners who broke out.”
Thousands of Sudanese seek refuge in neighbouring Chad
Thousands of Sudanese are scrambling to escape the violence.
But aid agencies say neighbouring countries are unprepared for the influx of refugees.
Al Jazeera’s Fintan Monaghan reports.
With diplomats evacuated, easier to put pressure warring sides: Ex-UK ambassador
William Patey, former British ambassador to Sudan, says that with foreign countries evacuating their diplomatic staff, it will be easier to put pressure on the warring sides to agree to a longer and more effective ceasefire.
“It was clear from here that the embassies were in the middle of a war zone and that they were being targeted. Normally, diplomatic missions can operate with a degree of immunity, but in this conflict we saw attacks on [an] EU ambassador, we saw attacks on French and US diplomats,” Patey told Al Jazeera.
“The diplomats themselves were unable to operate. So, they had to be evacuated and ironically with diplomats out of the country, it is much easier to put pressure on the parties because you don’t have hostages if you like. The difficulty now is how to get British citizens out. That is a much more complex operation.”
Hemedti discusses conflict with EU High Representative
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said he spoke with European Union High Representative Josep Borrell.
The pair spoke about the ongoing conflict in Sudan, Hemedti said in a tweet.
“I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the humanitarian truce and our preparedness to offer assistance for safe passage of citizens & foreign nationals. We stand united in our efforts,” the RSF leader tweeted.
Hemedti added that he is willing to aid in the transfer of both Sudanese citizens and foreigners “to their desired destinations”.
I engaged in a constructive dialogue with EU High Representative @JosepBorrellF on the ongoing crisis in our country. We discussed various aspects and our shared concerns.
I reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the humanitarian truce and our preparedness to offer assistance…
— Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (@GeneralDagllo) April 23, 2023
Canada temporarily suspends operations in Sudan
Canada has said it has temporarily suspended operations in Sudan and Canadian diplomats will temporarily work from a safe location outside the country.
While operations are suspended in Khartoum, limited consular services continue to be provided, the Canadian government said in a statement.
UK military has evacuated diplomatic staff from Sudan: PM Sunak
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the country’s armed forces have evacuated diplomatic staff and their family members from Sudan.
“I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who carried out this difficult operation,” Sunak said on Twitter.
UK armed forces have completed a complex and rapid evacuation of British diplomats and their families from Sudan, amid a significant escalation in violence and threats to embassy staff.
I pay tribute to the commitment of our diplomats and bravery of the military personnel who…
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) April 23, 2023
Norway envoy ‘extremely’ worried over ongoing fighting
Norway’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan, John Anton Johnson, says his country is “extremely concerned” over the situation in Sudan.
“Our message is for both parties to respect and commit to the ceasefire,” he told Al Jazeera.
“According to my knowledge, the people of the Norway embassy and the diplomats are all safe, and their security situation is top priority,” he said.
Japanese planes arrive in Djibouti to begin evacuations
Three airplanes dispatched by Japan’s air force have arrived in Djibouti to start evacuations from Sudan, Japanese media report.
According to media outlet NHK, plans are being drawn up to take Japanese residents from Khartoum to another city, where they will then be transported out of the country.
Two thousand Sudanese arrive in South Sudan: UN
The International Organization of Migration’s representative in South Sudan says the number of Sudanese refugees arriving in the country has been “fairly limited”.
“We are looking at some 2,000 people that have arrived,” Peter Van Der Auweraert from the UN agency told Al Jazeera from Juba. “Many of the people that have come are those who have had the means to make it here.”
“We expect the more vulnerable people to come at a later stage,” he said.
RSF claims capture of army personnel
The deputy commander of the RSF tells Al Jazeera that the paramilitary force has captured a significant number of soldiers in the Sudanese army and they are being treated in a humane manner.
Abdul Rahim Dagalo said the RSF has taken control of the military’s manufacturing camp in the Masoudiya area southeast of Khartoum and another facility in Bahri just north of Khartoum.
Al Jazeera could not independently verify his claims.
He said his brother, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, was leading the operations himself and the RSF is committed to a three-day truce that started on Friday.
Fighting has continued through this ceasefire and all previous ones..
Turkish evacuations have started: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Amir Lafi, reporting from Istanbul, says Turkey’s evacuations of its own nationals as well as citizens from other countries have begun and the bus trips from Sudan to an undisclosed third nation will continue for 22 to 24 hours.
“The Turkish foreign ministry specified three assembly areas for the Turkish citizens,” he said.
“Buses will not only transfer Turkish citizens and diplomats but also people from other countries, especially European ones.”
Nearly all Russian citizens in Khartoum moved to embassy: Diplomat
Russia’s Ambassador to Sudan Andrey Chernovol says nearly all Russian citizens in Khartoum have been moved to the Russian embassy building.
However, he told Al Jazeera it wasn’t clear if evacuations via air were possible at the moment due to fighting at the airport.
“We are looking into all possible ways for evacuating Russians,” the ambassador added.
Sweden approves sending 400 soldiers to Sudan for evacuations
The Swedish parliament has given the government the necessary approval to send an armed force to evacuate citizens from Sudan.
In a statement, the Riksdag approved a proposal to allow the government to provide a unit of up to 400 soldiers for the task.
The force would be tasked with evacuating Swedish and foreign citizens from Sudan, according to the Foreign Affairs Committee’s proposal.
Medical staff unable to reach hospitals: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera correspondent Hassan Razzaq, reporting from Omdurman, said healthcare personnel are unable to reach hospitals due to the fighting.
“Yesterday we went to a hospital where in the emergency section there were supposed to be 20 doctors on shift, but only four were present,” he said.
Lion reserve warns it is running low on food, fighting nearby
Heavy fighting in Sudan has raised fears about the fate of 25 lions and other animals in a wildlife reserve.
The facility said it is without electricity to power safety fences around enclosures and is running low on food for the big cats, which each require 5kg to 10kg (11 to 22 pounds) of meat a day.
The Sudan Animal Rescue Centre warned in a statement that the situation at the sanctuary had become “critical”.
It said it no longer had a permanent staff presence at the sanctuary, located an hour’s drive southeast of Khartoum near a military base that has been rocked by “deadly clashes on a daily basis”.
Pope Francis urges dialogue over ‘grave’ situation
Pope Francis has called for dialogue between warring military factions in Sudan.
“Unfortunately, the situation remains grave in Sudan,” he said in St Peter’s Square in the Vatican. “That is why I am renewing my call for the violence to stop as quickly as possible and for dialogue to resume.”