UAE-based Sudanese fear violent clashes will escalate

Airports are closed, leaving little opportunity to evacuate family and friends from homeland, say residents

Smoke dominates the skyline of eastern Khartoum as fear grips the city after three days of violence. AFP

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Sudanese citizens in the UAE fear clashes that have broken out in Khartoum will escalate into a full-blown conflict and lead to a “catastrophic” future.

Fighting has spread to every corner of Khartoum, where the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are battling for control of airfields and military bases.

At least 96 civilians have been killed and 365 injured in the violence since Saturday, according to an independent medical group associated with Sudan’s pro-democracy movement.

As the fighting continues to rage, Sudanese citizens in the UAE say they are afraid that it will develop into a civil war scenario similar that of Yemen or Syria and lead to chaos throughout the country.

Awad Mustafa, 41, a Sudanese who lives in Dubai and a former journalist with The National, said his mother, two sisters and two brothers are at home in Khartoum’s adjoining city of Omdurman. He revealed a family friend had been killed in the gunfire.

We have friends and relatives stuck in Khartoum and can’t leave because the clashes are taking place near them

Awad Mustafa

“It is a devastating blow to Sudan,” he told The National. “My family is in Omdurman city and they hear nearby gunfire and jets. The situation is absolutely catastrophic.

“Family friends had their daughter, a doctor, killed by a stray shot at her home in Khartoum.

“Her mother was injured by a bullet to her shoulder. She was young and one of the first victims in this chaos.”

Mr Mustafa said that although his family members have managed to stay safe, much uncertainty surrounds the days ahead.

“My niece was in school when the clashes happened as it is exam time,” he said. “Her father managed to return her safely.

“My family gathered at my mother’s house and they managed to go to a supermarket to get food supplies but nobody knows what will happen tomorrow.”

Mr Mustafa, editor of regional security publication Defence and Security Middle East in Dubai, said his country has turned into a battlefield.

“Nobody is controlling Khartoum until now,” he said. “It is the first time in Sudan’s history to have an open war in Khartoum. It is gang war on the doorsteps of civilian people.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vehicles destroyed during fighting in southern Khartoum. AFP

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

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

Heavy fighting has broken out across the country. AFP

A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

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

A building damaged by the fighting. EPA

People gather at a bus station to escape Khartoum. Reuters

People leave their homes amid the fighting. AFP

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

A building burns at Merowe Airport in Sudan. AFP

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smoke rises above Khartoum. Faiz Abubakr / The National

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

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

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

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

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

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

Smoke rises over buildings during clashes. Reuters

Damage at the Communications Authority Building. Reuters

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

Destroyed fuel trucks at a depot in Khartoum. Reuters

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

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

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

Burning planes at Khartoum International Airport. EPA

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

Heavy smoke billows above Khartoum International Airport. AFP

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

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

Smoke rises over the city. Reuters

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

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

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

Government soldiers stationed on a key road in Khartoum. AFP

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

People walk past a military vehicle in Khartoum. AFP

Mr Mustafa said he wanted to bring his family to Dubai until the situation in Khartoum was calm but the airports are currently closed.

“There are no operating airports to get them out,” he said. “I call them every two to three hours. They still have electricity but most of the areas in Sudan have a shortage.

“We have friends and relatives stuck in Khartoum who can’t leave because the clashes are taking place near them and armed men from the army are roaming around with weapons.”

He said his family remained hopeful that the situation would de-escalate after watching a TV interview from Abu Dhabi with Sudan's former civilian prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, who expressed optimism that an amicable resolution could be found.

“They felt hope to end the situation peacefully after Hamdok’s interview but they were awake all night because of the sounds of explosions and bullets,” he said of his family.

The fighting has followed weeks of tension between the army, led by military ruler Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group with roots in the feared Janjaweed militia that fought on the government’s side in Darfur in the early 2000s.

For a country that had only recently begun to emerge from international isolation, there is tangible fear the clashes could turn into a full-scale conflict.

“We were expecting something will be happening but not in this way,” Sudanese Ahmed Saeed, 33, a Sharjah resident who works in the government sector, told The National.

“Street fighting, people fearing for their lives and staying at home without electricity … it is total chaos.

“My sister is living in Khartoum with her two daughters and husband. They didn’t sleep because of the fight and don’t know what to do or where to go.

“I’m afraid this will go the way of Syria and Yemen.”

Nora Othman, 39, who lives in Dubai, says her family in Khartoum are in a terrible situation as explosions and gunfire are rattled around their neighbourhood.

“My nephew and niece are not eating because of fear and the sound of air strikes,” said Ms Othman, “with no electricity and the internet is switching off and on all the time.

“They have food for the moment but it is a danger to go out and the nearby supermarkets are closed.”