Evacuation from Sudan of foreign nationals, diplomats begins during lull in fighting

Saudi diplomats, nationals already back home, US, Britain, France and China to soon evacuate their nationals, diplomats from Khartoum

A cloud of smoke billows over Khartoum, the Sudanese capital where fighting between the army and a rival paramilitary force has raged for a week. AP Photo

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Sudan's military said on Saturday that the evacuation of foreign nationals from war-torn Khartoum has begun, taking advantage of a lull in fighting under a 72-hour truce marking a major Muslim holiday.

In a statement, it said that the United States, Britain, France and China will "within hours" begin the evacuation by air from Khartoum of members of their diplomatic missions and nationals. They will also evacuate embassy staff and nationals of other nations if they request.

The statement said Saudi diplomats and nationals have already left Sudan after they traveled overland to Port Sudan on the Red Sea from which they flew home.

Jordanian nationals will similarly leave Sudan, it added.

News of the evacuations came as residents in Khartoum reported that the intensity of fighting in the city b between the army and a rival paramilitary group dropped significantly on Saturday morning.

There were no signs of a complete halt to the week-old battle in the Sudanese capital, however.

Intermittent explosions rocked the city despite both sides expressing willingness to observe a three-day truce for the Muslim holiday of Eid Al Fitr that began on Friday.

Khartoum residents said the intensity of the fighting fluctuated on Friday, but invariably picked up after quiet spells, with the thud of artillery, heavy gunfire and screaming jet fighters shaking the city.

The city's streets remained largely deserted on Saturday, while shops stayed shut. Residents say they are running out of food as stocks run low, and are also facing widespread cuts in power and water supply.

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  Smoke billows above Khartoum's international airport amid fighting between the forces of two rival generals in Sudan. AFP

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  People carry Othman Mohamed, a senior military officer loyal to army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

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  Residential buildings damaged in the fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. AP Photo

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  People cheer with Sudanese army soldiers manning a position in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

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  People queue for water in Khartoum. The fighting has resulted in food and water shortages. Reuters

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  Black smoke covering the sky above the capital, Khartoum. AFP

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  Vehicles destroyed during fighting in southern Khartoum. AFP

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  People head for the station to flee Khartoum during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army. Reuters

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  Smoke and fire rise from an apartment building, after a shell hit the complex in Khartoum. Reuters

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  Heavy fighting has broken out across the country. AFP

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  A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

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  A destroyed vehicle of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in southern Khartoum. AFP

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  A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

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  People gather at a bus station to escape Khartoum. Reuters

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  People leave their homes amid the fighting. AFP

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  People look for drinking water in Khartoum, Sudan. Faiz Abubakr for The National

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  A building burns at Merowe Airport in Sudan. AFP

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  A man holds two bullets that hit his home. Faiz Abubakr for The National

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  People gather for a meal to break their fast during Ramadan in Port Sudan. AFP

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  Satellite image shows a close-up view of destroyed helicopters in South Khartoum. Reuters

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  The Port Sudan branch of the Central Bank of Sudan. AFP

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  A hole from an explosion on the side of a building in Khartoum, after fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces led by rival generals. AFP

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  People queue for bread outside a bakery amid a food crisis in Khartoum. AFP

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  Smoke rises above Khartoum. Faiz Abubakr / The National

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  Fearful families try to shelter from the fighting in houses in Khartoum. Faiz Abubakr / The National

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  A deserted avenue in Khartoum as residents fear to go out due to intense fighting. AP

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  A Sudanese army tank in a street in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

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  Houses have been severely damanged during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army. Reuters

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  Satellite images show a destroyed Ukrainian plane at Khartoum International Airport. Reuters

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  Market stalls abandoned in south Khartoum as fighting in the Sudanese capital rages for a third day. AFP

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  Smoke rises over buildings during clashes. Reuters

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  Damage at the Communications Authority Building. Reuters

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  People queue for bread outside a bakery amid a food crisis. AFP

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  Destroyed fuel trucks at a depot in Khartoum. Reuters

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  Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, at the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan. AFP

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  Smoke rises from a fire on the tarmac of Khartoum International Airport in Sudan as fighting between the government and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continues. Reuters

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  Abdalla Hamdok, former prime minister of Sudan, addresses the current crisis and violence on the streets of his homeland at a news conference in Abu Dhabi. Reuters

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  Burning planes at Khartoum International Airport. EPA

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  Damage and a fire on the Kobar Bridge in Khartoum. AFP

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  Heavy smoke billows above Khartoum International Airport. AFP

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  Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum, as fighting in Sudan raged for a second day. AFP

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  A military vehicle patrols the streets as the fighting continues. AFP

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  Smoke rises over the city. Reuters

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  Thick smoke rises above buildings near the airport amid clashes between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. AFP

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  Explosions rock the Sudanese capital as paramilitary fighters and the regular army attack each other's bases. AFP

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  The fighting has raised fears of a wider conflict in the country. AP

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  Government soldiers stationed on a key road in Khartoum. AFP

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  The fighting comes days after the army warned the country was at a 'dangerous' turning point. AP

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  People walk past a military vehicle in Khartoum. AFP

The World Health Organisation on Friday said 413 people had been killed and 3,551 injured since fighting broke out, but the death toll is believed to be much higher.

Two 24-hour truces declared after fighting broke out on April 15 were ignored, with each side accusing the other of violations.

Sudan's Army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, right, and Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo were allies in the removal of the dictator Omar Al Bashir in 2019 and a coup staged in 2021. AFP

In an ominous sign, the army on Friday sent its troops on to the streets of Khartoum for the first time since hostilities began. The troops and RSF fighters exchanged gunfire at many locations, but the battles appeared to be concentrated in central Khartoum, not the city's outlying residential areas, residents said.

"I can still hear artillery firing and air strikes, but they are a little less frequent than previous days," Hamza Awad, a 52-year-old physician from Khartoum, told The National on Friday night.

"I can move around in the relative safety of my district, but I cannot go outside it," he said after venturing into the streets of his Al Sahafa neighbourhood to look for food.

Elsewhere in Khartoum, residents were desperately trying to leave the city for the safety of their home villages and towns in nearby provinces, but the continuing fighting and the scarcity of fuel — petrol stations have been closed for a week — meant that not everyone succeeded in fleeing.

People fleeing street battles between the forces of two rival Sudanese generals as they wait for a ride in Khartoum. AFP

The army and the RSF are led by one-time allies Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is better known by the nickname Hemedti. The pair were allies, albeit for political expediency, since they jointly removed Omar Al Bashir from power in April 2019 amid a popular uprising against the dictator's 29-year regime.

They joined forces again to stage a coup in 2021 that upended Sudan's democratic transition and plunged the country into political and economic crises.

They were signatories to a preliminary deal reached in December that provided for the withdrawal of the military from politics, the appointment of a civilian prime minister to steer the country for 24 months until elections and the integration of the RSF into the armed forces.

The signing of a comprehensive deal was delayed twice this month because of differences over the RSF integration, which Gen Dagalo wanted to be done gradually over as many as 10 years. Gen Al Burhan wanted a much shorter timetable, fearing that the RSF would become an even more formidable force if given more time.