Khartoum - State-owned Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia) said one of its Airbus aircraft "had an accident" at Sudan's Khartoum airport before its scheduled departure to Riyadh on Saturday, without providing further details. Saudia also said in a statement that its flights to and from Sudan had been suspended until further notice.
Clashes between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on Saturday, with gunfire heard in several parts of the capital Khartoum and witnesses reporting shooting in adjoining cities.
Egyptian national carrier EgyptAir said on Saturday it was suspending flights to and from Khartoum for 72 hours following military clashes in the Sudanese capital.
Fly Dubai and Air Arabia have suspended their flights to Sudan following the recent tensions in the country after clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
A spokesperson for Fly Dubai stated that due to the current situation in Sudan, the carrier's flights between Dubai and Khartoum Airport have been canceled from April 15th to 17th.
The carrier will continue to closely monitor the situation and apologizes for any inconvenience to its passengers due to the changes in travel schedules.
Air Arabia also stated that all carrier flights to Sudan have been canceled until further notice.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1647189540228984832
During the ongoing military coup in Sudan, two aircraft are known to have been badly damaged or destroyed while parked at Khartoum Intl Airport (HSSS), Sudan. A Saudi Airbus A330-300 and a SkyUp Boeing 737-800. Additional aircraft may be affected as well. Ongoing story... pic.twitter.com/gqDZXJn1XH
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) April 15, 2023
Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Force said it had taken control of Khartoum airport Saturday in response to army attacks on its bases. "The Rapid Support Forces defended themselves in response to the hostile forces inflicting heavy losses" on the regular army, the RSF statement said.
It said its fighters "were able to take control of Merowe airport" north of Khartoum, "expelled attackers on bases in Soba" and "took control of Khartoum airport."
Exchanges of gunfire were heard in the northern Sudanese city of Merowe on Saturday, witnesses in the city told Reuters.
Pictures from Alarabyia TV showed smoke columns rising from a military base in the city.
The Sudanese capital Khartoum has witnessed clashes between units of the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The move follows days of tension between the army and the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group, that had sparked concern about a confrontation.
A Reuters witness saw cannons and armored vehicles deployed in the streets and heard the sound of heavy weaponry in the vicinity of the headquarters of both the army and RSF. The source of the gunfire could not be immediately confirmed by Reuters. People could be seen running in a state of panic in Khartoum.
The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday when the army said that recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal.
A statement by the RSF on Saturday called the army's actions a "brute assault" and called for it to be condemned. It said that the RSF had been in contact with local and international mediators to inform them.
A confrontation between the two forces could spell prolonged strife across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence.
Sudan's main paramilitary group said it had seized the presidential palace, the army chief's residence, and Khartoum international airport on Saturday in an apparent coup attempt but the military said it was fighting back.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which accused the army of attacking them first, also said they had taken over the airports in the northern city of Merowe and in El-Obeid in the west.
The situation on the ground was unclear. The army said it was fighting the RSF at sites the paramilitaries said they had taken and denied that the RSF had taken Merowe airport.
A major confrontation between the RSF and the army could plunge Sudan into widespread civil conflict as it struggles with economic breakdown and tribal violence.
The RSF accused the army of carrying out a plot by loyalists of ousted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and attempting a coup itself.
The Sudanese air force is conducting operations against the RSF, the army said. Footage from broadcasters showed a military aircraft in the sky above Khartoum, but Reuters could not independently confirm the material.
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