UPDATED 19 April
Resistance Committees, trade unions, womens’ organisations and grassroots campaigns in Sudan are urgently appealing for solidarity and peace as rivalry between factions of the ruling military junta has turned into a deadly war in the capital Khartoum, neighbouring cities of Omdurman and Bahri and other major towns across the country. According to international media and eyewitness reports, fighters from the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces militia have engaged in gun battles and exchanged shell fire in crowded city streets, hitting schools, hospitals and residential neighbourhoods. The SAF was reported to have also attacked RSF positions with MiG and Sokhoi fighter jets.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been trapped by the fighting, including hospital patients who had to be evacuated under gunfire and hundreds of school children in Khartoum who were besieged in their classrooms. The UN said on Tuesday 18 April that at least 185 people had been killed and 1800 injured. By the following day, confirmed deaths had risen to nearly 300. Meanwhile, Sudanese organisations reported that water and electricity systems were failing or inaccessible across parts of the capital.
The revolutionary movement in Sudan shows there is an alternative to this carnage. On 19 April, a list of 42 Resistance Committees, trade unions, workers’ and women’s organisations issued a statement calling for the “civil revolution forces” to take the initiative with a “comprehensive political strike.” According to Sudanese activists contacted by Middle East Solidarity, among the demands being raised in Sudan are calls not just for a ceasefire, but for the demilitarization of Sudanese cities and residential areas. Resistance committees are also leading practical support on the ground despite the danger, organising medical aid and food supplies.
What we think: our governments are complicit in this bloodshed, not bystanders
The two warring sides in this conflict are rival factions in the military junta which seized power in October 2021 from the civilian politicians who were their “partners” in the Transitional Government set up in the wake of dictator Omar al-Bashir’s fall in 2019. They have been armed to the teeth and given intelligence, diplomatic and financial support by regional powers Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and Israel – all staunch allies of the major Western governments (and recipients of huge amounts of Western aid and arms). Both sides in the war have also courted Putin in Russia, who hopes to secure access to a new naval and military base in Sudan as a result.
Far from taking effective action to isolate the military and militia coup leaders, the US and British governments have repeatedly pushed Sudanese civilian movements towards negotiations with the military and militia leaders. The British government repeated this call in another statement issued on 15 April. This is in contradiction to the clear position adopted by the Resistance Committees and most trade unions and major civil society organisations which reject any attempt to legitimise the military coup through negotiations.
Take urgent action now:
- Send a message to the Sudanese authorities via the Sudanese embassy in your country and by making a statement on social media calling for an immediate ceasefire, and the creation of safe passages to evacuate the wounded and provide emergency supplies.
- Call on the British, US and other foreign governments to halt all arms transfers, military and diplomatic support to the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces AND the regional powers such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel and Egypt which are fuelling the conflict. They must rush humanitarian supplies to Sudan, confirm that they will cancel Sudan’s debts once the military junta is replaced by a democratic civilian government and that the military and militia leaders responsible for this bloodshed will not benefit from diplomatic immunity or be accorded any legitimacy whatsoever.
- Rush donations for medical supplies to the Sudan Doctors Union – UK appeal below. Circulate the detailed report on the critical situation for Sudanese health services here:
- Share the messages from Sudanese organisations below widely – support their calls for a ceasefire, humanitarian aid and the demilitarization of Sudanese cities and residential areas.
- Join peace protests organised by Sudanese activists abroad- keep up to date via our Facebook page
Health services, medical professionals and hospitals attacked
The ongoing clashes in Sudan have had a severe impact on the country’s healthcare system, as hospitals and medical staff have come under attack. The United Nations has reported that more than 180 people have been killed and 1,800 injured, while eyewitnesses have reported a large number of corpses in the streets.
Hospitals and healthcare institutions in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities have been subjected to shelling with artillery and firearms, causing extensive damage and forcing some facilities to shut down completely. This shelling constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and agreements that stipulate the protection and neutralization of healthcare institutions from targeting.
The closure of pharmacies has made it difficult for women to obtain feminine care supplies and pads, as well as to reach hospitals for pregnant women or those about to give birth. Additionally, a pregnant woman and her father were killed in front of a hospital while trying to seek medical care and the child was miraculously rescued, while a number of doctors and healthcare workers were injured and killed.
The Sudanese Doctors’ Union has established online channels to help citizens seeking medical care by publishing online phone numbers for volunteer doctors across all specialities to provide help via phone calls and WhatsApp groups. They are also coordinating with resistance committees across the country to establish medical rooms for injury possibilities and to be prepared for any emergency.
The international community must compel the conflicting parties not to target healthcare facilities, open safe passages, and allow ambulance vehicles to pass through. Additionally, humanitarian organizations should take urgent action to evacuate the wounded and provide medical supplies to those in need. The protection of healthcare workers, patients, and facilities must be a priority to ensure access to medical care for those who need it most.
An Appeal for funds from the Sudan Doctors’ Union – UK branch
SDU-UK is appealing to your generosity and compassion towards the people of Sudan. The population is currently experiencing an unprecedented devastating wave of violence between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army, resulting in several casualties involving innocent citizens. As the conflict continues, these numbers are only expected to rise. Your donation, regardless of size, can make a significant impact by providing essential aid and assistance to those in need.
Please consider donating today to support the people of Sudan during this critical time.
Thank you for your kindness and support.
*By Bank Transfer:*
The Union
Acc. number: 16326868
Sort code: 309626
Reference: Medical Aid
OR
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=C389RX7BMNFFN
We renew the call for all civil revolution forces to take the initiative – 19 April
We, in the resistance committees and democratic political, civil, and professional forces, in continuation to our first statement issued on April 14th, hereby declare that our country has slid into the abyss of total war, in which generals use their weapons to eliminate everything in their path, and excessive violence has been used by the regime forces as a tool to settle the disputes and conflicts over power. This is contrary to the rules of democratic transition and peaceful power-sharing.
Despite our differences in political views, we are completely united in our stance against the war and its continuation, and in our opposition to the return of the remnants of the previous regime to the political scene.
We call for an immediate cessation of the war and the silencing of the sound of guns, and we reject any results of the war, no matter what they may be. We emphasize the necessity of unity among the forces of the revolution in the face of the schemes of the remnants, who are striving to regain control of the country, even if it means tearing it apart. We assure them that their efforts will fail, and they will never return, as the glorious December revolution is still alive and burning.
In this regard, we intend to agree on a joint mechanism to monitor developments, coordinate positions, and confront anything that threatens the security and safety of our country and its citizens. The continuation of the war has left and still leaves catastrophic effects, as both parties did not abide by the ceasefire declared earlier by the United Nations. Safe corridors were not designated for evacuating the stranded, medical crews were not protected, hospitals were not spared, and we consider all these violations to be contrary to international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions. We hold the warring parties fully responsible for any violation of human rights.
We renew the call for all civil revolution forces to take the initiative and unite to condemn the military operations, call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and not leave the country as prey to the will of the military and remnants of the previous regime. We should mobilise to declare a comprehensive political strike and civil disobedience, which is the duty of the hour that we must all rally around, and not allow speeches of sedition, fragmentation, and hateful rhetoric to tear this country apart, and to undermine its unity, sovereignty, safety, and the dignity of its people.
Signatories:
1. Haj Yousef Revival Committee Gathered
2. Coordination of Old Omdurman Resistance Committees
3. Coordination of East Nile South Committees
4. Industrial Zone Resistance Committees
5. Resistance Committees – Wad Al-Nil
6. Resistance Committees of Al-Dali and Al-Mazmoum – Sennar State
7. Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party – Asl
8. Forces of Freedom and Change Declaration
9. Republican Party
10. Revolution Forces Unity Mechanism
11. Baladna Movement
12. No Way Back Alliance
13. Civil Alliance for Transitional Justice
14. Sudanese Professionals Association
15. University of Nileen Teaching Staff Union
16. Gathering of Nileen University Professors
17. University of Khartoum Professors’ Initiative
18. Gathering of University of Jazeera Professors
19. Gathering of Sudan University of Science and Technology Professors
20. Gathering of Professionals and University of Imam Al-Mahdi Professors
21. Gathering and Network of University of Khartoum Engineers
22. Gathering of Sudan University Engineers
23. University of Khartoum Graduates’ Conference
24. Gathering of Sudanese Bankers
25. Gathering of Oil Sector Workers
26. Gathering of Tax Department Professionals
27. Gathering of Administrative Officers
28. Gathering of Sudanese Craftsmen and Workers
29. Sudan’s Unions Solidarity
30. Confederation of Sudanese Civil Society Organizations
31. Student Movement Alliance
32. Bahri Youth Initiative
33. Sudanese Association for Social Studies
34. Girifna Movement
35. Political and Civil Women’s Groups (Mensam)
36. Northern Kandakat Bloc
37. Eastern Nile Kandakat Bloc
38. Omdurman Kandakat Bloc
39. Bahri Kandakat Bloc
40. Women’s Forum for Freedom and Change
41. Democratic Women’s Union
42. The Guardians.
Joint Statement from Sudanese Trade Unions
Our country stands today at a crossroads. After the setback of its promising revolution, its headline has become the security breakdown and arbitrary killing in several villages and cities, especially in the region of Darfur. This has been accompanied by the country’s descent into open military confrontations between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, a war that will lead the country to chaos and threaten its existence if we do not stand firm against it and contain it.
The national capital, Khartoum, woke up this morning, Saturday, April 15, to the sound of gunfire and the buzzing of planes, and reports of civilian casualties.
This imminent danger requires that those concerned call for a ceasefire from both sides and appeal to reason to stand firmly against the destructive plans that aim to abort the glorious revolution project and its ambition to transform the country into a democratic civil state of freedom, peace, and justice.
The phenomenon of deteriorating security began decades ago in the state of Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile, and it would not have started at all if it were not for the Muslim Brotherhood coup and its insistence on tearing the country apart and humiliating its peaceful citizens. Now, this phenomenon has extended beyond that geographical scope to spread throughout the country. The recent clashes in the Marawi area in the Northern State witnessed sharp tensions, leading to military confrontations due to the competition between the army and the Rapid Support Forces. These have been fuelled by the surrounding regional influences that have become evident in the Sudanese scene, with the intervention of elements of the ousted regime through media mobilisation and work, apparent and hidden, to spread the message of hate.
This ongoing crisis is the result of the desire of many parties to maintain their dubious interests within Sudan. In Darfur alone, and during the past week, with the participation of cross-border groups, the region of Forbaranga was attacked, where 25 people were killed and thousands were displaced in addition to dozens of injuries. The region of Kundube in West Darfur witnessed the killing of six people. In North Darfur state, an armed militia attacked the area of Luwabid, 40 km from El Fasher, the capital of the state, where a bank vehicle was attacked, four employees were killed and the money (salaries) was seized, in addition to other incidents.
Sensing the national and moral responsibility, and what the national conscience dictates in this critical historical situation that the country is going through, many union bodies met in the headquarters of the Sudanese Journalists’ Union in Khartoum and agreed to confront attempts to create sedition and destabilise the country, and to stand against war, security breakdown, and impunity, hoping to take serious steps through which the voice of reason and wisdom prevails, and to defuse the crises and conflicts that have escalated.
Efforts will continue to discuss the crises, produce solutions, and call on all unions and civil bodies to undertake their role and participate in the responsibility of stopping the war and security breakdown.
Signed union bodies:
1. Sudanese Journalists’ Union
2. Steering Committee of the Sudanese Bar Association
3. Bahri Industrial Zone committees
4. Sudan Unions Solidarity
5. The Preparatory Committee of the Union of Professors at Sudan University of Science and Technology
6. The Steering Committee for the Federation of Sudanese Engineers
7. Sudanese Teachers Committee
8. Sudanese Writers’ Union
9. The Preparatory Committee of the Pharmacists Union – Khartoum State
10. Darfur Lawyers Association
11. The University of Khartoum Teaching Staff Trade Union
Resistance Committees statements: – TAM (Alliance of Demand-based Campaigns):
Coordination of the Khartoum State Resistance Committees
(Urgent Statement)
Revolutionary women and men, sons and daughters of our brave people, the country has slipped into the abyss of armed strife, driven by the madness of the military, igniting the fires of destruction and bloodshed.
Therefore, we, the Coordination of the Khartoum State Resistance Committees completely reject war, and declare loudly that there is no to war, long live peace! Our glorious revolution has begun and triumphed through peaceful means, its brave sacrifices, and our continued unity and rejection of tribal and racist mobilisation.
Our brave people, the country is going through a historical moment that has never occurred in modern Sudan’s history. We urge all national civilian and political forces to uphold Sudan’s unity, our people, and our land. We call on them to ring the alarm bell and work to create the largest front for peace and protect the Sudanese revolution from collapse.
Citizens and honourable revolutionaries, until this critical stage passes, we ask you not to succumb to the incitement and counter-incitement speeches that have already started to spread from the warring parties. Please preserve the safety of your neighbourhoods and cities, and do not engage in any calls for violence or carrying arms.
Our national duty is to raise slogans of peace, fill the earth and space with the voice of wisdom and reason, reject fighting, and fill the country with hymns of peace.
May God save Sudan and protect its people.
Glory to the martyrs.
Bahri Neighbourhood Committees
Coordination of Resistance Committees in East Nile South
Coordination of Resistance Committees in Old Omdurman
Centre for Resistance and Change Committees, Dar Al Salam, Imbada
Ombada Neighbourhood Committees
April 15th, 2023
Sudanese Journalists Network
Press Statement:
The Sudanese Journalists Network condemns the targeting of Al-Jarida newspaper headquarters this evening, which resulted in shrapnel falling inside the premises and damaging some equipment.
Additionally, the Sudanese Journalists Network also condemns the assault and detention of the BBC correspondent Mohamed Mohamed Osman by the military forces while on his way to work.
We have also received reports of three colleagues from the East Channel office who have gone missing while covering events in the Marawi area, and we hold the authorities responsible for their safety. We call on all parties involved in the conflict to stay away from civilian areas and refrain from targeting journalists while performing their duties.
The Secretariat of the Sudanese Journalists Network will be in session and monitoring violations, and we urge our colleagues to follow safety procedures and report any violations.
Sudanese Journalists Network
Appeal:
The Sudanese Journalists Union appeals to the warring parties to stop the fighting and open safe corridors for civilians stranded in conflict areas, as well as for medical personnel and staff to reach hospitals and treatment centres. The union also appeals for the opening of safe corridors for the students of Kamponi schools who have been stranded in their schools in central Khartoum since morning without food or supplies, and whose number exceeds 250 students. The union requests that they be allowed to return to their homes, along with the families and residents trapped in the vicinity of central Khartoum near conflict areas, and be permitted to leave for safe areas.
April 15, 2023.
No to Women’s Oppression
Statement:
To the security committee of the overthrown regime, militias, and all armed groups, we say to you: put down your weapons.
The arms race in our country takes up more than 80% of our education, healthcare, and development budget. It destroys our agricultural and mineral resources, and all of this is done to direct weapons towards our chests and our loved ones.
What has been happening since the morning of April 15th, 2023, of violence, killing, and war in all cities of Sudan, has pushed our country into a war waged by those who cling to power and the nation’s wealth for their personal ambitions and the interests of foreign countries, disregarding the demands of our great people’s revolution for a civil state, dissolution of militias, and returning the military to their barracks.
We, at the ‘No to Women’s Oppression’ initiative, affirm with reason, awareness, and faith that there are no winners in war. The Sudanese people reject any military rule, and there is no popular support for any of the parties involved in this chaos.
Central Sudan Doctors Committee
Urgent appeal
Hospitals in the capital city of Khartoum, which are currently under the burden of war, are facing difficult and complicated circumstances due to the isolation and shortage of medical staff, supplies, and consumables. The situation has worsened due to the use of some combatant forces to seek refuge in hospitals and use them as military strongholds, which exposes patients, workers, and facilities to numerous risks and threatens the lives of innocent people.
Attacking hospitals is considered a crime against humanity, and they have their dignity and integrity even in times of war. Therefore, we call on the warring parties to abide by ethics and basic principles when dealing with health institutions during wartime and refrain from using them as military sites to confront the other side.
May God protect the people and the country.
The Committee’s Media
April 17, 2023
Resistance committees’ statements – TAM (Alliance of Demand-Based Campaigns):
Coordination of the Khartoum State Resistance Committees
“Important statement to the Sudanese people”
We are not neutral, because we have been in a peaceful battle since the era of the deposed Bashir until now, against the militarisation of the country and the control of guns in the streets. We started with our peacefulness and will continue with it to achieve our goals against all parties of the ongoing war in the country’s streets. Al-Burhan and Hemeti are enemies of the revolution and the revolutionaries. This is the path that we started with, and through it we will prevail, because we are against war and against any outcome that leads to it. Both party in the war do not care about the safety and security of our people. Therefore, we urge them not to settle their scores among innocent civilians.
We call on the revolutionaries in the neighbourhoods to organise themselves in the current situation and to prepare to provide our people’s basic needs in their areas according to the current circumstances.
We ask the Resistance Committees in each neighbourhood to do the following, as they see fit:
– Monitor the situation on the ground and report on what is happening in and around each neighbourhood periodically to prevent rumours and to relay the facts as they are, to be a reliable source for our people.
– Establish medical rooms for injury possibilities and to be prepared for any emergency.
– Monitor the conditions of the supply of materials in the neighbourhood, especially with the possibility of the current war lasting longer, and check on the conditions of our people in these difficult circumstances.
– Monitor the security situation in the neighbourhood and ensure that children and elderly are kept away from conflict areas.
– Raise the slogan of “No To War” and not respond to any calls for arming, as they will lead us to civil war. The only loser from war is the people, so let’s unite to overcome it.
We call on all civil and humanitarian organisations, as well as the Red Crescent, Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, and the Preparatory Committee of the Sudanese Doctors Union, to activate their role in providing first aid to the wounded and injured and transferring them to safe places, and to provide assistance to the Sudanese people to overcome this crisis.
Finally, we pray for all innocent citizens who have fallen and count them as martyrs in the eyes of God. We wish a speedy recovery for the injured and the wounded, and a safe return for the missing.
May God protect our people
The military should go to their barracks, and the Janjaweed to be dissolved.
Coordination of the Khartoum State Resistance Committees
April 16, 2023
Signed by:
Haj Yousef Revival Committee Gathered
Bahri Neighbourhood Committees
Coordination of the East Nile South Resistance Committees
Coordination of the Greater Omdurman Resistance Committees
Coordination of the Khartoum State Resistance Committees
Report on the current situation in Sudan as of Today, Monday 17 April 2023 10:00 AM (UK Time):
Residents of the capital city, Khartoum, woke up this morning to the sounds of airstrikes and multiple fighter jets flying low over eastern Khartoum, specifically in the neighbourhoods of Sixtieth Street and Khartoum North, which includes the neighbourhoods of Kafouri and Al-Amlak, as well as the area east of the Nile. They also heard heavy bomb explosions and gunshots, which are still ongoing.
Many citizens have reported that electricity has been cut off in most neighbourhoods of Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman. Water services have also been completely absent for more than 40 hours since the beginning of the clashes.
Since the start of the clashes, many citizens, including women who were working in food vending in front of university buildings, have been trapped in separate places such as university dormitories and the Faculty of Engineering, University of Khartoum. Calls for help have come from several companies and buildings, where those trapped citizens are suffering from poor humanitarian conditions due to a lack of food, water, and medical care.
Many of those trapped attempted to leave to return to their homes during the ceasefire called by the United Nations Mission yesterday, but the two military parties did not comply with the ceasefire, despite their promises to do so in their official statements. Civilians were shot in the streets during the ceasefire period, resulting in many injuries and the deaths of more than four people, including a student at the University of Khartoum and a female doctor. This forced them to return indoors again.
For the third day since the start of the clashes, it has been impossible for citizens to bury the bodies due to the continuous shooting. Several messages have appeared on social media from trapped citizens demanding safe paths to bury the bodies of the dead who were with them. This is considered one of the worst humanitarian and health crises ever. Eyewitnesses have also reported a large number of corpses in the streets since the beginning of the clashes, which have started to swell and decompose.
Women are experiencing extremely poor health conditions due to the closure of pharmacies, which makes it difficult for them to obtain feminine care supplies and pads, as well as to reach hospitals for pregnant women or those about to give birth. There has been a noticeable decrease in the number of shops that are still open, with bakeries and pharmacies closing their doors. This threatens a shortage of food, medicine, and daily necessities, especially infant formula, medicines for chronic diseases, first aid, and basic food.
The World Health Organisation has reported that the number of casualties in Sudan has reached at least 83 people, and 1,126 others have been injured since the outbreak of the recent events.
Internet service and electronic banking applications are still operating in many areas of the capital, but there are constant threats to cut services by order of the authorities at any moment.
The Preliminary Committee of the Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union has demanded the provision of safe paths for the evacuation of doctors who have been working since the first day of the clashes to enable them to be replaced by other doctors. The committee has also indicated that hospitals suffer from an acute shortage of medical equipment and health supplies. On the other hand, the Central Doctors’ Committee has condemned the fall of a stray rocket in Bashaer Hospital, south of Khartoum, which threatens the lives of medical staff and patients.
There is no confirmed news about the security situation in the regions of El Fasher, Nyala, and eastern Sudan today.
The Khartoum State Water Authority has issued a statement that its employees were unable to repair the water networks, many of which were damaged by fire.
Political parties, local and international organizations, and countries have been urging both parties involved in the conflict to immediately cease fire, stop the clashes, and return to the negotiating table to protect the lives of civilians.
A special session of the Security Council on Sudanese affairs will be held today. Additionally, many African regional leaders have expressed their willingness to come to Khartoum to meet with the conflicting parties and try to resolve the situation.
Source: Issam Khalafallah (Sudanese activist)
Central Sudan Doctors’ Committee
Urgent
Evacuation of Al-Shaab and Al-Mualim Hospitals due to the exchange of gunfire, falling shells, and live bullets on the hospital walls, despite the appeals we have been making since the first day.
We also regret to inform that the patients at Al-Shaab Hospital had to be transferred to the Khartoum Hospital, which was formerly the kidney department. The transfer was carried out amidst fear and anticipation of shelling.
Committee’s Media Office
April 17th.
Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union
Important and Urgent:
We had previously urged the conflicting parties not to target healthcare facilities, but what happened was exactly the opposite. Hospitals and healthcare institutions in Khartoum and other Sudanese cities were subjected to shelling with artillery and firearms, causing extensive damage to the Al-Shaab Educational Hospital, Ibn Sina Specialised Hospital, and Bashayer Hospital due to the mutual shelling between the Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the surrounding area.
The shelling caused the complete shutdown of the Al-Shaab Educational Hospital and Khartoum Educational Hospital, causing confusion and fear among medical staff, patients, children, and their companions.
This shelling constitutes a clear violation of international humanitarian law and agreements that stipulate the protection and neutralisation of healthcare institutions from targeting.
Yesterday, the Police Hospital was evacuated and is now completely out of service. The Al-dhaman Hospital in Al-Obied was also closed after being stormed by the armed forces.
We would like to point out that the International Hospital in the city of Bahri is suffering from power outages, and fuel for the electricity generators is running out, endangering the lives of intensive care and surgical patients.
We call on the international community to compel the conflicting parties not to target healthcare facilities, open safe passages, and allow ambulance vehicles to pass through. We also repeat our appeal to humanitarian organisations to extend a helping hand and take urgent action to evacuate the wounded and provide intravenous solutions, blood bags, and medical supplies.
Preliminary Committee of Sudan Doctors’ Trade Union – Media Office
17 April 2023
13:00
MENA Solidarity Network 