Brits warned to stay inside as three killed in Sudan fighting

ITV News' Callum Watkinson reports as Sudan's military and powerful paramilitary clashed, with fears of a civil war growing

Explosions and heavy gunfire have been heard in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, as the British embassy advises nationals to stay indoors.

Clashes between the country's military and powerful paramilitary force broke out on Saturday in the capital and around the country, with at least three people killed and dozens injured according to the Sudan Doctors’ Committee.

Fighter jets took off from a military base north of Omdurman and attacked the Rapid Support Force (RSF) militia's positions in and around Khartoum, the Associated Press reported.

The Rapid Support Force (RSF) militia accused the army of attacking its forces at one of its bases in south Khartoum.

These claims were supported by a military official, who anonymously said that fighter jets attacked the RSF's positions around the capital.

The RSF claimed they seized the city's airport and “completely controlled” Khartoum’s Republican Palace, the seat of the country’s presidency.

The British embassy in Sudan tweeted: "We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes. "We advise all British Nationals in Sudan to remain indoors and follow our travel advice for more updates."

The group also said it seized an airport and air base in the northern city of Marawi, around 215 miles northwest of Khartoum, but those claims have not been verified.

Commercial aircraft trying to land at Khartoum International Airport began turning around to head back to their originating airport on Saturday, while flights from Saudi Arabia turned back after nearly landing at the airport.

The Sudanese army described the paramilitary's statements as "lies" and said fighting broke out after RSF troops tried to attack its forces in the southern part of the capital.

The clashes come as tensions between the military and the RSF have escalated in recent months, forcing a delay in the signing of an internationally backed deal with political parties to revive the country’s democratic transition.

The army and the paramilitary disagree over how the RSF should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process.

The merger is a key condition of Sudan’s unsigned transition agreement.

The rivalry dates back further to the rule of autocratic former president Omar al-Bashir, who was ousted in 2019.

In a rare televised speech on Thursday, a top army general warned of potential clashes with paramilitary forces, accusing it of deploying forces in Khartoum and other areas of Sudan without the army’s consent.

The RSF recently deployed troops near the northern Sudanese town of Merowe.

The Sudan Doctors Committee - part of the country’s pro-democracy movement - said two civilians were killed at the country’s airport and another man was shot to death in the state of North Kordofan.

The statement did not specify how the two people had died at the airport, which was a flashpoint in the recent violence, with the two forces battling to control it.

Sudan has been in turmoil since October 2021, when a coup overthrew a Western-back government, dashing Sudanese aspirations for democratic rule after three decades of autocracy and repression under Islamist ruler Omar al-Bashir.

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