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Sudanese Power Struggle Erupts Into Violence

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The power struggle between two generals in Sudan and its associated violence escalated dramatically on Saturday and Sunday, with at least dozens of civilians and soldiers killed.

It remains unclear who has the upper hand in the power struggle, according to media reports, which said fighting around the Sudanese army’s general command in the capital Khartoum had intensified.

At least 83 people have died and 1,126 others have been injured in heavy fighting in Sudan between the army and the influential paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces, the World Health Organisation said on Sunday.

A Sudanese medical organisation said on Sunday that so far at least 56 civilians and dozens of soldiers had been killed.

READ ALSO: US, UK Seek End To Violence In Sudan

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According to WHO, the hospitals in Khartoum, which is home to around six million people, have been overwhelmed.

Among those killed on Saturday were three employees of the UN World Food Programme, which announced on Sunday that it had stopped its aid mission due to the killings.

Two other WFP employees were injured in the clashes between the army and paramilitaries.

WFP executive director Cindy McCain said the staff had been delivering relief supplies to people in the village of Kabkabiya in North Darfur.

She called for “immediate steps” to ensure the safety of other WFP staff in Sudan.

READ ALSO: Deadly Fighting Between Army, Paramilitaries In Sudan Capital

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The events triggered worldwide fears of a potential civil war in the state with about 46 million inhabitants and prompted calls from the international community for an immediate ceasefire.

As the situation escalated, two important regional organisations convened emergency meetings on Sunday. The Peace and Security Council of the African Union consulted on Sunday afternoon on the “worrying” situation in Sudan. The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa also convened an extraordinary summit of heads of state and government.

The IGAD wants to discuss how best to “de-escalate the situation in Sudan and restore calm for the good of the country,” executive secretary Workneh Gebeyehu said on Twitter.

The clashes follow tension between Sudan’s de facto president and commander-in-chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, also known as Hemedti, the leader of the RSF.

The RSF and the military have effectively held power in the country since the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

READ ALSO: Six Journalists Detained Over Viral Video Of South Sudan President Peeing On Camera

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In the course of the delayed transition to a civilian government, the RSF were to be integrated into the armed forces, which led to a rift between the allies. RSF leader Daglo accused al-Burhan of clinging to power.

Fighting broke out unexpectedly on Saturday morning in Khartoum.

The RSF claimed Sudanese soldiers had entered their headquarters in the south of the city.

RSF forces attacked the airport in the north of the city and the presidential palace.

The army used fighter planes and tanks.

READ ALSO: Just In: AU Suspends Sudan Over Military Coup

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On Sunday, fighting continued to concentrate on the nearby army headquarters and the state radio building.

Both sides repeatedly reported combat successes that contradicted each other.

The claims of both sides could not be independently confirmed.

Fighting was also reported in other parts of the country such as Darfur and North Kordofan provinces.

Heavy fighting was also reported in the town of Merowe in the north of the country.

As the situation escalates, the UN Security Council called on all parties to the conflict to stop the fighting and start talks to end the crisis.

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READ ALSO: Sudan’s Prime Minister, Detained After Coup, Returns Home

Humanitarian workers must also be given safe access and UN staff must be protected from attacks; the UN’s most powerful body demanded on Sunday.

The statement stressed the goal of the unity, sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of the republic of Sudan.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock demanded a ceasefire.

Both sides must stop the fighting and prevent further bloodshed,” she said on Twitter, adding she was “horrified by the many victims” and that developments were being closely monitored, especially involving Germans on the ground.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with his counterparts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates about Sudan on Saturday.

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“We agreed it was essential for the parties to immediately end hostilities without pre-condition,” he said in a statement.

“I urge General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohammed Hamdan Degalo to take active measures to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians.

“The only way forward is to return to negotiations that support the Sudanese people’s democratic aspirations,” he said.

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8-year-old Survives As Bus Carrying 46 Pilgrims Crashes In South Africa

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A bus crash led to the death of 45 passengers in South Africa on Thursday.

The bus, which crashed through a barrier of a bridge, caught fire after it fell off a bridge approximately 300km north of Johannesburg in the Northeastern Limpopo province.

BBC reports that only an eight-year-old child survived the accident with multiple injuries.

READ ALSO: Nigeria Ranks 109 In World Hungry Nations – Peter Obi Laments

The passengers were said to be pilgrims travelling from Botswana’s capital Gaborone to an Easter service in the town of Moria.

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The vehicle lost control and went off a bridge on the Mmamatlakala mountain pass between Mokopane and Marken, around 300km (190 miles) north of Johannesburg, according to South African public broadcaster SABC.

Speaking with reporters after visiting the scene, Sindisiwe Chikunga, South Africa’s Minister of Transportation, said the government will carry out an investigation to determine the cause of the accident.

READ ALSO: FG To Review Oil Firms’ Plans On Gas Flaring

Chikunga said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

“We continue to urge responsible driving at all times with heightened alertness as more people are on our roads this Easter weekend.”

In his Easter message to South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa called on citizens to “do our best to make this a safe Easter.”

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Man Stabs Four To Death In US

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Four people, including a teenage girl, were killed and at least five injured after a man went on a stabbing spree at multiple addresses in the US state of Illinois, police have said.

The stabbings took place on Wednesday afternoon, Rockford City Police said in a statement, adding that a 22-year-old suspect was taken into custody.

The statement did not say anything about a possible motive.

Rockford is located about 90 miles northwest of Chicago.

READ ALSO: Gender Balancing: Tellthatstory Empowers Women In African Storytelling

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Those killed included a 15-year-old girl, a 63-year-old woman, and two men aged 49 and 22, according to the police.

The police statement said that five people had been wounded, but US media later cited the police saying seven were wounded.

Details later

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[JUST IN] Okuama Killings: Army Declares Eight Persons Wanted [FULL LIST]

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The Nigerian Army has declared Eight persons wanted in connection with the killing of 17 soldiers in the Okuama community in Delta state.

The Nigerian Army disclosed this on its official X account on Thursday.

The persons declared wanted include seven men and one woman.

Full list:

They are Akevwru Daniel Omotegbono, Prof Ekpekpo Arthur, Andaowei Dennis Bakriki, Igoli Ebi (female), Akata Malawa David, Sinclear Oliki, Clement Ikolo Oghenerukevwe and Reuben Baru.

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Okuama killings: Background
The suspected mastermind of the bloodbath, a militant leader, and his gang members, who are currently on the run, seem to have their operational stamping ground at Igbomotoru, a riverside community in the Southern-Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

However, the Nigerian Army, which has spread its dragnet for the fleeing suspects, went as far as Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, to pick up three persons, last Tuesday, in connection with the killing of the soldiers.

READ ALSO: Delta Killings: Military Sets To Build Barracks On Okuama As Demolition Of Houses Continues

So far, the demanding search for the killers of the soldiers in the quiet Okuama has spread to the creeks, hideouts, and communities in Delta State, Bayelsa, and Rivers states, and is likely to extend to other states in the Niger-Delta, and outside the region if need be, according to sources.

According to VANGUARD, many believe the killing of the soldiers was beyond the land dispute between Okuama and Okoloba in the Bomadi local government area, as insiders point to divergences on oil bunkering.

Lt. Col Ali was reportedly bent on stopping oil thieves in his operational area and had made appreciable inroads. There was suspicion that his killing with other military personnel could be a setup.

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We know who did it – General Musa, CDS

The Chief of the Defense Staff, CDS, General Christopher Gwabin Musa, who had given his troops marching orders to track down the killers, alluded to this notion.

Musa said: “I know him, the C.O himself, Lt. Col. Ali. Because of recent, we emphasized that we want oil production in Nigeria to increase so that we will be able to have enough foreign exchange for things to go down. Because we all know the challenges we are facing.

READ ALSO: Okuoma Ambush: Troops Recover Decomposing Hearts Of Killed Soldiers

“And so, he insisted that all illegal activities within his general area must stop. He directed all the troops and they were stopping illegal bunkering, and then these are the people benefiting from it. And so when this issue came up, it became an opportunity for them to do away with him, which is exactly what happened.

“We know who did it, we are following up on him, and it is just a matter of time, we are sure we are going to get him. They took away our arms, we must get those arms back, and we must get these guys so that they would be prosecuted accordingly.”

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From our findings, the countryside people of Okuama are not sophisticated enough to carry out this kind of attack on military officers.

And from the CDS declaration that “we know who did it..,” he confirmed that the premeditated killing was connected to oil bunkering, so why did the troops go after helpless Okuama women and children, and even razed the community?

However, the Army, on Friday, admitted knowledge of the viral video by a militant leader who confessed to participating in killing the 16 soldiers.

It noted: “The video among other things helps to narrow investigation to persons of interest and their cohorts.

“Accordingly, the state governments and host communities of these personalities are required to assist investigation in flushing out these culprits.

“There can be no hiding place for perpetrators of such dastardly act against the nation. This is a clarion call to duty by members of those communities and the state governments”.

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