Calm urged over Sudan clashes

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (AP Photo/File)

Al Jazeera – Heavy gunfire and blasts were reported in Sudan’s capital Khartoum following days of tension between the armed forces and a powerful paramilitary group.

Shooting and blasts took place in the vicinity of Sudan’s army headquarters, the defence ministry, and the airport in Khartoum.

Loud explosions and gunfire were reported near a base held by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in south Khartoum.

Tensions stem from a disagreement over how RSF should be integrated into the military.

Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has told Al Jazeera that the RSF attacked his residence at the army headquarters around 9am local time.

“And that’s when things got out of hand between the two sides,” Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan reported.

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has called on the Sudanese leadership to restrain their troops and deescalate after paramilitaries clashed with the army in an apparent coup attempt.

General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has called army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan a criminal and accused the army of carrying out a coup, in a phone interview with Al Jazeera.

Also known as Hemedti, the RSF leader said his troops were forced into a confrontation.

RSF stronger on the ground: Analyst

Mohamed Alamin Ahmed, a military analyst, has told Al Jazeera from Khartoum that the RSF had the upper hand in the first hours of the clashes.

“They actually took over the airport of the presidential palace and they were about to take over the house of Burhan,” he said.

Ahmed said that the army later countered the attacks with air strikes and contained the situation, balancing the power.

He added that the RSF has no air forces and is stronger on the ground with large number of fighters.

Exchange of fire documented in Omdurman

Residents have documented the exchange of fire in the Mohandessin area of Omdurman, located across the Nile river from the capital Khartoum.

Chad closes border with Sudan, calls for calm

Chad’s government has closed its border with Sudan and has called for calm.

“Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace,” it said in a statement.

Its 1,403km (872-mile) border with Sudan will remain closed until further notice, it said.

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