Thousands flee homes in Sudan's Khartoum as clashes between army, paramilitaries enter day five
Apr 19, 2023
Khartoum [Sudan], April 19 : As fighting between the army and paramilitaries raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed, thousands of residents have fled their homes in Sudan's capital Khartoum, Al Jazeera reported on Wednesday.
When the planned ceasefire, set to begin at 1600 GMT on Tuesday, was broken up within minutes, the hopes of residents in Sudan being evacuated were crushed.
The rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the regular army both released statements accusing the other of breaking the ceasefire. According to the army's top leadership, actions to secure the capital and other areas will continue, reported Al Jazeera.
According to Al Jazeera, the witnesses claim that thousands of people in Khartoum took matters into their own hands and started to leave their homes, some in cars and some on foot, including women and children.
With food supplies running low, power shortages, and a lack of running water, the civilians holed up in their homes as they grew more desperate to be evacuated from the violence-hit region.
As many as 270 people have been killed and more than 2,600 have been injured in the unrest in Sudan, according to World Health Organisation (WHO) officials citing Sudan's Ministry of Health Emergency Operations Center, reported CNN.
The conflict between Sudan's military leader and his deputy on the ruling council erupted four days ago, derailing a plan for a transition to a civilian democracy that had received international support, four years after the overthrow of the previous government by widespread protests and two years after a military coup, as per a report published in Al Jazeera.
A humanitarian crisis, as stated by the UN, has been brought on by the conflict, including the almost complete collapse of the health system. The Global Food Programme of the organisation halted operations when three of its staffers were killed.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was nearly impossible to provide humanitarian services around the capital. It warned that Sudan's health system was at risk of breakdown, reported Al Jazeera.
