Mittwoch, 17.05.2023 / 22:04 Uhr

Heftige neue Gefechte im Sudan

Von
Thomas von der Osten-Sacken

Sudanesische Soldaten in Darfur, Bildquelle: Wikimedia Commons

Nachdem Friedensverhandlungen in Saudi Arabien gescheitert sind, gab es wieder heftige Gefechte im Sudan.

 

Die Friedensinitiative Saudi Arabiens, die von den USA unterstützt wurde, kann als gescheitert gelten und so entbrannten erneut heftige Gefechte in Sudans Hauptstadt:

Airstrikes and artillery fire shook much of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, and its neighbouring cities on Tuesday as fighting between the country’s warring factions intensified sharply.

New battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) flared from dawn in north and south Khartoum, as well as in the adjacent cities of Omdurman and Bahri, as the army sought to defend its bases from its paramilitary rival.

The army has been trying to cut off RSF supply lines from outside the capital, as well as to secure strategic sites including the airport in central Khartoum and the al-Jaili oil refinery in Bahri, observers said.

The RSF claimed to have captured 700 regular soldiers in an attack on an army base in the al-Jaili district, in addition to a large ammunition dump. The RSF’s chief media officer shared a clip on a journalists’ WhatsApp group showing hundreds of captive army soldiers walking in single file, some barefoot and none with weapons.

Beide Seiten scheinen auf einen militärischen Sieg über die jeweils andere zu hoffen und entsprechend unwahrscheinlich ist eine diplomatische Lösung. Den Preis dafür zahlen die Menschen im Sudan:

“The two sides are quite far apart,” one official said. “Given the depth of enmity, I think, given the inflamed passions as a result of the fighting since the 15th of April, and given the struggle for dominance, we don’t see an easy solution to this.” 

At least six cease-fires have collapsed since fighting began. On Monday, reports circulated that the SAF had bombed a hospital that had been taken over by the RSF, despite a framework agreement to protect civilians reached in Jeddah last week.

Sources familiar with US intelligence assessments on Sudan said there appeared to be few, if any, off-ramps for the warring generals, raising fears that the country could be headed for a prolonged conflict fueled by ready streams of foreign arms and funding.

“Frankly, we’ve seen violations by both sides in all the cease-fires to date and don’t expect that to change,” a second senior US official said last week.