Khartoum War: A Day of Burning Buildings and Prominent Towers
On Saturday, September 16th, the first day of the sixth month of the war in Khartoum, extremely fierce battles took place around the General Command, the Signal Corps, the Engineers Corps, and armored vehicles. Observers described it as the fiercest fighting since the outbreak of the Khartoum war in mid-April of the previous year, involving all kinds of heavy weapons and warplanes. Loud explosions were heard since the early morning hours, and the battle is described as having introduced new weapons that were not heard in the previous four months since the start of the war on April 15.
Military sources in the Sudanese army stated that the forces inflicted heavy casualties on the rebel militia that attempted to attack the vicinity of the General Command, causing dozens of deaths and injuries and destroying a large number of combat vehicles. The battles also resulted in 40 civilians injured due to indiscriminate shelling carried out by the Rapid Support Forces militia on the neighborhoods of Bant and Al-Abbasiyah in Omdurman.
One of the most significant outcomes of yesterdays battles was a series of fires that engulfed buildings and prominent towers in the city of Khartoum. Circulated images showed a fire and rising columns of smoke at the Nile Petroleum Company Tower in the Mergen Al-Nilein area of Khartoum due to the ongoing battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. Other circulated images showed a dense fire at the headquarters of the General Authority for Standards and Metrology on the University of Khartoum Street. Images were also shared depicting the aftermath of the fire and destruction that occurred at the Ministry of Justice building on Republic Street in Khartoum as a result of clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Rapid Support Forces accused the Sudanese army of destroying the infrastructure of the capital Khartoum in response to statements made by the Rapid Support Forces leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who threatened to establish a civilian government with its capital in Khartoum.
Since the start of the clashes, neither side has made significant advances over the other. The Rapid Support Forces control residential neighborhoods in the capital, while the army resorts to airpower and artillery in its confrontations with them. Witnesses have recently reported an escalation in aerial bombardments, accompanied by civilian casualties, as the army attempts to regain control of positions in the capital.
The U.S. Department of State condemned the ongoing increase in civilian casualties resulting from the exchange of artillery shelling between the two sides. In a statement issued the day before yesterday, the U.S. Department of State called on both parties to abide by their commitments to return to the Juba negotiation platform as soon as possible.
On the other hand, the official spokesperson for the Central Council of Freedom and Change, Khalid Omar, stated in remarks carried by the Qatari Al Jazeera channel that they are working to build a broader civil front against the war in Sudan and reject any military solutions. He added that both sides, the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, are committed to the Juba platform since October 25, 2021, there has been no government in Sudan, and the priority is to stop the war. He warned against the danger of Sudan now heading towards division.
