Renewed Fierce Battles Erupt in Khartoum, Ousted Bashir Surrounded in Hospital

Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
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Renewed Fierce Battles Erupt in Khartoum, Ousted Bashir Surrounded in Hospital

Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)
Omar al-Bashir during his trial in September 2020 (Reuters)

Intense battles have erupted anew between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s city of Omdurman, transforming it into a zone of open military operations.

The clashes, which took place on Tuesday, resulted in casualties and injuries among civilians, as well as significant partial or total destruction of numerous homes.

Meanwhile, the RSF announced the downing of a Sudanese army MiG fighter jet in the city of Bahri, capturing its pilot. This incident marks the sixth downed aircraft since the outbreak of the conflict in the country in mid-April.

Witnesses stated that Sudanese Air Force fighter jets began intensively patrolling the skies of Omdurman since dawn, amidst a growing frequency of explosions.

They also reported that the RSF launched numerous attacks on the Central Reserve Police headquarters in Omdurman from three directions.

According to witnesses, the RSF employed both light and heavy weaponry, as well as artillery shelling, in an attempt to gain control over the headquarters.

However, the army successfully repelled the attacks, forcing the RSF to retreat.

Moreover, local sources have reported that several neighborhoods in the “Ambada” area of Omdurman are being subjected to aerial and artillery bombardment, as well as clashes between the army and the RSF, for the third consecutive day.

This has resulted in injuries among residents and the destruction of several homes.

Sources speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat also confirmed that the RSF have besieged the ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and three senior leaders of his regime.

The leaders, Bakri Hassan Saleh, Yousuf Abdel-Fatah (also known as “Rambo”), and Ahmed El-Tayeb El-Kinjar, are currently in the military-run Aliaa Hospital in Omdurman, under the control of the army.

The Sudanese army had announced their apprehension following the raid on the Central Kober Prison in Khartoum Bahri.

This came two weeks after the outbreak of the conflict in the country and the escape of many implicated leaders of the ousted regime, who were accused of orchestrating the June 30, 1989, coup and participating in the killing of protesters.



Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
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Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid will Enter Gaza

A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes - AFP

Israel said Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a "mass grave", a medical charity reported.

Air and ground attacks resumed across the Gaza Strip from March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire with Hamas that had largely halted hostilities in the territory.

However, Israel has halted the entry of aid into Gaza since March 2, as the humanitarian crisis continues to grow amid ongoing military assaults which rescuers said killed at least 11 people Wednesday.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday Israel would continue preventing aid from entering the besieged territory of 2.4 million people.

"Israel's policy is clear: no humanitarian aid will enter Gaza, and blocking this aid is one of the main pressure levers preventing Hamas from using it as a tool with the population," Katz said in a statement, AFP reported.

"No one is currently planning to allow any humanitarian aid into Gaza, and there are no preparations to enable such aid."

Top Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly cited military pressure as the only way to secure the release of the remaining 58 hostages held in Gaza.

Medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Israeli military operations and the blockage of aid had transformed Gaza into a graveyard for Palestinians and those who help them.

"Gaza has been turned into a mass grave of Palestinians and those coming to their assistance," said MSF coordinator Amande Bazerolle.

"With nowhere safe for Palestinians or those trying to help them, the humanitarian response is severely struggling under the weight of insecurity and critical supply shortages, leaving people with few, if any, options for accessing care," she said.

- 'Worst' humanitarian crisis -

The United Nations had warned on Monday that Gaza is facing its most severe humanitarian crisis since the war began in October 2023.

"The humanitarian situation is now likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the outbreak of hostilities," said the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

In a statement, OCHA said no supplies had reached the territory for a month and a half, and medical supplies, fuel, water and other essentials are in short supply.

Israel tightly controls the entry of vital international aid for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since the Israeli offensive resumed.

On April 28, the International Court of Justice is set to open hearings on Israel's humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians.

The UN General Assembly approved a resolution in December requesting that The Hague-based top court give an advisory opinion on the matter.

It calls on the ICJ to clarify what Israel is required to do to "ensure and facilitate the unhindered provision of urgently needed supplies essential to the survival of the Palestinian civilian population".

Although ICJ decisions are legally binding, the court has no concrete way of enforcing them. They increase the diplomatic pressure, however.

Israel continued to pound Gaza on Wednesday.