Explosions occur in Sudan’s capital as the army rallied civilians to take up arms

Explosions were reported in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, on Monday as the army called on civilians to take up arms against the country’s paramilitary forces. The sound of artillery fire was heard in northwest Khartoum at dawn, spreading towards the center and east of the city, according to AFP.

A resident informed AFP that the fighting started at 4:00 am and was ongoing. Khartoum had only a few hours of respite after intense clashes on Sunday between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

On Monday, the army announced its readiness to receive and prepare volunteer fighters. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had previously called on Sudanese youth and those capable of defending to join the military.

However, war-weary civilians have largely rejected this call and are pleading for an end to the ongoing conflict between Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Apart from Khartoum, some of the heaviest fighting has occurred in the western region of Darfur. RSF forces attacked a military base in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, on Sunday.

The violence since April 15 has resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, although medics have warned that the actual death toll could be much higher as two-thirds of health facilities in conflict areas are out of service, as reported by AFP.

The conflict has displaced an additional 2.2 million people within Sudan, with another 645,000 fleeing across borders, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Darfur, which is home to a quarter of Sudan’s population, continues to bear the scars of a two-decade war. Residents, as well as the United Nations, United States, and others, have reported that RSF and allied Arab militias have targeted and killed civilians based on their ethnicity.

The RSF has been accused of intentionally targeting civilians in Darfur, including shooting people fleeing towards the Chadian border. The paramilitary group has also been identified as the main perpetrator of conflict-related sexual assaults in both Darfur and Khartoum, according to survivors and the government’s Combating Violence Against Women and Children Unit.

RSF fighters, known for their mobility, are embedded in densely populated neighborhoods and have been accused of widespread break-ins and looting.