| Hudna! Hudna! Hudna!! |
The truce eased fighting in the country's capital, creating a lull that allowed foreign governments to evacuate thousands of their nationals. Tens of thousands of Sudanese traveled to their country's land borders with Egypt, Chad and Æthiopia, and to a port city on the country's Red Sea.
The new festivities targeted civilians in the capital city of Genena, the residents said, an area that is regularly roiled by outbursts of brutal tribal violence. They described attacks by fighters, mostly wearing the uniforms of the country's powerful paramilitary, on several neighborhoods across the city early Thursday, forcing many families to leave their homes.
"The attacks come from all directions," said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. "All are fleeing."
Much attention has been centered on the capital's intense fighting, including
...KABOOM!...
s and artillery and dronezaps, since the country's military and its powerful paramilitary known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started battling for key government institutions and military bases on April 15.
The fighting in the capital has created dire conditions for many struggling to obtain food and water, and electricity is cut off across much of the capital and other cities. Multiple aid agencies have had to suspend operations, a heavy blow in a country where a third of the population of 46 million relies on humanitarian assistance.
But there are now more indications that other remote provinces are witnessing deadly violence.
Fighting in Genena first escalated earlier this week. Residents reported widespread looting and destruction of government offices and aid agencies' compounds in the city including U.N. premises and the headquarters of the Sudanese Red Islamic Thingy.
Adam Haroun, a political self-proclaimed genius in West Darfur, said dozens of people were killed over the past two days in Genena. He said the fighting "with light and heavy weapons" has already turned into tribal violence.
Speaking over the phone from Genena's western neighborhood of Gamarek, Haroun said tribal fighters were roaming the streets, destroying and looting "whatever they found." He said Genena's main open market was completely destroyed.
"The battles are raging right now," he said over the phone, the sound of gunfire overtaking his voice at times. "It's scorched-earth war."
Volker Perthes, the U.N. envoy for Sudan, said late Wednesday that the Genena festivities have been centered on civilians and run the risk of kicking off a dangerous cycle of violence between rival tribes.
Sudan: Omar Al-Bashir moved to military hospital
| Not lost or escaped after all. |
...Former President-for-Life of Sudan He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself head cheese. He fell out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to ArabizeDarfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Hee was overthrown by popular consent in 2019. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it...
was moved to an army hospital after heavy fighting broke out leading to a jailbreak last week, military officials said, amid speculations that the former strongman managed to escape from prison during the unprecedented melee.
Fighting broke out between the Sudan Armed Forces [SAF] and the paramilitary wing Rapid Support Forces [RSF] with both claiming to be interested in restoring civilian rule in the country. It is during the battles that a number of inmates managed to escape, leading to speculations about the whereabouts of the former leader.
In a statement, the army said that al-Bashir and 30 other prisoners were moved to Aliyaa Hospital which handles patients in the forces, abruptly ending his stay at Kober prison in Bahri in northern Khartoum where he was being held with several other former government officials.
"Former President Bashir’s family members said they are waiting for the fighting to end so he can go to trial and prove his innocence," said Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum.
The release of about 25,000 convicted criminals added to a growing sense of lawlessness in Khartoum, where residents have reported worsening insecurity with widespread looting and gangs roaming the streets.
| Goobjoog News adds: |
Among those who escaped are Ahmed Harun, a former official in the ousted regime of Omar Al-Bashir who reported that he had managed to escape from the correctional facility along with a number of other Islamist hardliners, including Ali Osman Taha, Awad El Jaz, and Nafi Ali Nafi.
Harun, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hauge was however quoted by the Tayba Satellite TV station saying that he and other former government officials who had escaped will be ready to defend themselves before a judge.
He added that they decided to flee the prison to escape heavy bombardment and repeated power and water outage in the facility since fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the Raid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on April 15th.
However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
the RSF has accused the Sudanese Army of being behind the release of the former government officials from prison.