Death toll tops 180 in battle for Sudan

The Sudan Army and paramilitary forces reportedly agreed to a 24-hour truce Tuesday. Residents in Khartoum and other cities on Monday struggled to get necessities while explosions and gunfire rang out across Sudan. The fighting started on Saturday, and for three days people were trapped in their homes or other shelters—including about 90 students and staff trapped in a college library. Missiles have also struck hospitals in the clash, limiting treatment options for the estimated 1,800 injured. 

Why are they fighting? The power struggle is between Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the armed forces commander, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. The two are former allies who jointly orchestrated a coup in 2021. Both have paid “lip service” to restoring power to civilians, said William Patey—former British ambassador to Sudan—but the generals never made good on those promises. 

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Onize Ohikere’s report in World Tour on the aftermath of the 2021 coup in Sudan.