KHARTOUM, Sudan – As thousands of civilians flee the capital of Sudan, Khartoum, foreign nations scramble to evacuate their citizens amid a fifth day of intense fighting.
The city experienced an influx of people leaving on Wednesday morning, April 19, 2023, with many traveling by car or on foot to escape the ongoing gunfire and deafening explosions.
Officials from Japan and Tanzania have announced they are considering missions to evacuate their citizens. This follows the collapse of Tuesday’s ceasefire between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Although a new ceasefire was proposed by the RSF on Wednesday, with the army agreeing to abide by the truce, gunfire can still be heard throughout the city.
Smoke has been seen rising from the area near the army headquarters, where much of the fighting between rival military factions is centered.
Mohammed Alamin, a journalist based in Khartoum, told BBC Focus on Africa radio that the gunfire hadn’t stopped despite the supposed ceasefire.
“It’s really horrible – these warring parties are firing randomly everywhere,” he said. “I saw, myself, hundreds of people going outside Khartoum, rushing to travel to the neighboring states.”
Civilians have been fleeing the capital since Wednesday morning when the fighting resumed and thick black smoke enveloped Khartoum. Witnesses reported heavily armed RSF fighters patrolling the city on pick-up trucks, while fighter jets loyal to the military conducted strikes on targets believed to be held by the paramilitary forces.
A fuel and public transport shortage has left many people fleeing on foot or seeking passage to central and western Sudan on flatbed trucks.
Meanwhile, several nations are preparing to evacuate their citizens from the country. Japan is considering sending a military plane to evacuate approximately 60 Japanese citizens, while Tanzania’s government is assessing the possibility of evacuating 210 of its citizens.
However, the US embassy in Khartoum said “the uncertain security situation” means there are no plans for a “US government-coordinated evacuation.”
The death toll caused by the fighting remains uncertain, with estimates ranging from 174 to 270. Experts believe the actual number could be much higher, as many wounded individuals are unable to reach hospitals due to heavy fighting.
As the situation in Sudan deteriorates, humanitarian organizations such as the Norwegian Refugee Council say that “virtually all humanitarian work has been paralyzed.” With ongoing conflict making it impossible to provide assistance on the ground, the crisis in Khartoum is only expected to worsen.
