Due to the shutdown of Khartoum International Airport, Qatar Airways announced the suspension of its operations to Sudan.
On Saturday, fighting broke out between paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces under the command of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, a.k.a. Hemedti, the council’s deputy chairman, and army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, leader of Sudan’s transitional governing Sovereign Council.
The sound of heavy firing could be heard as the military urged people to remain inside their homes. Schools, banks and government offices would be closed on Sunday.
Burhan overthrew long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019. Eighteen months later, the military and the RSF staged a second coup, upending a transition to democracy.
The UN’s World Food Programme suspended operations in the country after three of its employees were killed in clashes in Darfur. Fighting was also reported in the eastern border state of Kassala.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, called for an immediate ceasefire and a return to talks to put Sudan back on track to a civilian-led government.
