The following is a chronology of the most prominent events in Sudan since the start of fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, due to a power struggle, since April 15.
The war between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, due to a power struggle in Sudan since April 15, has left more than 750 dead and 5,000 wounded, in addition to at least 900,000 displaced persons and refugees.
In this war, the army commander, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan since the 2021 coup, and his former deputy, Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, nicknamed “Hamidti”, the commander of the Rapid Support Forces, are facing each other in this war.
The two former allies took full control of power in a coup in 2021, during which they overthrew the civilians who had been sharing power with them since the fall of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019. However, differences soon began between them over the issue of integrating these forces into the army.
The following is a timeline of the most prominent events in Sudan since the start of the fighting:
Battles start
On April 15, a few days after a new postponement of signing a political agreement that was supposed to re-launch the path of democratic transition, gunshots and explosions rang out in Khartoum. Dagalo’s forces announced that they had seized the international airport, which the army denied, in addition to the presidential headquarters and other major facilities. The army launched air strikes on the bases of the Rapid Support Forces.
On the 16th of it, the United Nations World Food Program announced the suspension of its aid, after a number of aid workers were killed in the fighting in Darfur (west). International calls to stop the fighting increased without deaf ears.
Failure to respect evacuations and armistices
On April 19, Japan was the first country to announce that it would evacuate its nationals, and thousands of Khartoum residents fled the fighting on roads strewn with corpses and charred tanks. The two truces declared on the 18th and 19th of it were violated.
On the 23rd, the United States evacuated its embassy staff from Khartoum.
France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Sweden, Egypt and many other countries organized evacuations of their nationals.
On the 25th, a shaky 72-hour truce, mediated by the US and Saudi Arabia, went into effect. The army and the Rapid Support Forces exchanged accusations of violating them.
Suspects flee
On the 25th, Ahmed Haroun, an aide to the ousted former President Omar al-Bashir, accused of crimes against humanity, announced his escape from prison, accompanied by other former officials.
The next day, the army confirmed that al-Bashir himself was “in the custody of the judicial police.”
Violence reached a new level on the 27th, with destruction and looting in Darfur and intense bombing in Khartoum.
Threat of US sanctions
The ceasefire was extended for 72 hours from the 28th, but heavy fighting continued. In Darfur, the United Nations has reported the distribution of weapons to civilians and warned that the conflict is fueling ethnic confrontations.
On the 30th, the army and the RSF announced another 72-hour extension of the truce, which was not generally respected but allowed evacuations to continue.
On May 4, the two parties to the conflict agreed to a new truce until the 11th, but it was not respected. US President Joe Biden said the violence “must end” and threatened new sanctions on those responsible for the bloodshed.
Agree on humanitarian rules
On the 11th, the United Nations adopted a resolution to strengthen monitoring and documentation of violations in the conflict, despite Khartoum’s opposition.
After six days of negotiations in the Saudi city of Jeddah, the two sides signed a declaration on the night of 11-12 May guaranteeing safe passage for civilians to leave combat zones and for humanitarian aid to enter. Talks are continuing to reach a new temporary truce.
