Sudan: School Students Evacuated Amid Ongoing Clashes in Sudan Capital

RFI/Alexandra Brangeon
(file photo).
17 April 2023
Dabanga (Port Sudan)

Khartoum — More than 200 school students were evacuated from Comboni College in central Khartoum on Sunday. They were trapped inside the building due to the fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the area. A temporary ceasefire was announced and partly implemented on Sunday afternoon, allowing the students to leave.

Activists reported that among the evacuees were 30 primary school students as well. They had arrived at the Catholic college on Saturday morning and could not leave because of the shooting and shelling in the neighbourhood that lies not far from the Republican Palace.

One student was injured by shrapnel inside the school on Saturday and received first aid.

Many in Khartoum remain trapped in hotels, buildings, and homes of others where they sought refuge. On social networks, doctors are continuously demanding a ceasefire, a safe passage for ambulances, and medical aid items to be able to treat the injured.

The Sudan Monitoring Network (Rasd) appealed in a tweet this morning on "all organisations, the Red Crescent, and to all honourable people in the country, from the army or the RSF, to lend a helping hand.

"There are patients trapped in El Moalem Hospital in central Khartoum due to the ongoing fighting nearby, and there is no medical staff available."

Extensive power and water outages are also reported across the city. The service of Zain telecommunications is reportedly cut in El Amarat, west of the Airport Road.

Heavy shooting and shelling continued in many parts of greater Khartoum on Sunday, with all kinds of weapons, including rifles, artillery, and combat aircraft, being used in the battles. Khartoum North and the southern parts of Khartoum were particularly affected.

A resident of Omdurman described deserted streets smelling strongly of gunpowder. "The walls of our houses are shaking because of the blasts", he told Radio Dabanga.

This morning, heavy shooting and shelling were heard again in various parts of the city. The Sudanese army has again urged people not to leave their homes.

Read the original article on Dabanga.

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