In this image grab taken from handout video footage released by the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 23, 2023, fighters wave assault rifles as they cross a street in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. (PHOTO / RAPID SUPPORT FORCES (RSF) / AFP)
KHARTOUM/UNITED NATIONS – Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shot at a Turkish evacuation plane as it was landing at Wadi Seyidna airport outside Khartoum on Friday, damaging its fuel system, Sudan's army said.
Hundreds have died and tens of thousands of people have fled in two weeks of conflict between the army and its rival.
The two factions agreed late on Thursday to prolong a ceasefire by 72 hours to allow for humanitarian access, but fighting flared in parts of the capital Khartoum on Friday, according to eyewitnesses and live video broadcasts.
Türkiye's defense ministry confirmed that a Turkish evacuation plane had been fired at and said there were no injuries. The RSF denied firing at the plane and said the army was "spreading lies".
"Our forces have remained strictly committed to the humanitarian truce that we agreed upon since midnight, and it is not true that we targeted any aircraft in the sky of Wadi Seyidna in Omdurman," the RSF said in a statement.
Türkiye's defense ministry confirmed that a Turkish evacuation plane had been fired at and said there were no injuries. Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) denied firing at the plane and said the Sudanese army was "spreading lies"
The Sudanese army said the plane was being repaired.
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UN's humanitarian aids
Also on Thursday, the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator said the UN and its partners are establishing a core team in Sudan to address the dire humanitarian situation in the country.
Shortages of food, water, medicines, and fuel continue to plague the country, particularly in Khartoum and surrounding areas, while access to communications and electricity is limited in many parts of Sudan, making relief operations even more challenging, the UN agency said in a press release.
Noting that the needs are urgent and widespread, Abdou Dieng, the acting resident and humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, said that senior leadership would be returning to the Sudanese capital, as soon as the situation allows.
Buses are parked along a deserted street as people flee the southern part of Khartoum on April 27, 2023, amid battles between the army and paramilitaries. (PHOTO / AFP)
While some staffers are working from Port Sudan, which is only accessible by road from the capital city, others have left for other posts due to the closure of airports, he said.
Shortages of food, water, medicines, and fuel continue to plague the country, particularly in Khartoum and surrounding areas, while access to communications and electricity is limited in many parts of Sudan, making relief operations even more challenging, the UN agency said in a press release
Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths has allocated $3 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to urgently respond to the arrival of Sudanese refugees and others in Chad, according to a UN press release on Wednesday.
Since mid-April, Sudan has been mired in military clashes between the army and the RSF following days of tension between the once-allied leaders of both sides. At least 459 people have been killed and over 4,000 wounded in the conflict, according to the World Health Organization.
The organization said that more than 60 percent of health facilities in Sudan are closed and only 16 percent are operating as normal. Meanwhile, nearly 50,000 acutely malnourished children are at risk of not receiving treatment due to disrupted services, according to reports from UN partners.
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The UN Children's Fund also disclosed that nine children were killed and more than 50 injured in the ongoing conflict.