Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Khartoum (Agenzia Fides) - "We are all locked in our homes and have been advised not to go out. Bullets and bombs come from everywhere. Yesterday evening, Tuesday April 18, a truce was planned from 6 in the afternoon until 6 in the morning today and instead it was not respected. There was shelling throughout the night and this morning. For the moment it seems that they have calmed down, but we know that this is going to take a long time and that it will not end anytime soon. The two generals have no intention of losing their posts." These are words that have just reached Agenzia Fides from local sources who, for security reasons, have requested anonymity. The men and women religious are dispersed in the different communities and, depending on their proximity to the besieged presidential palace or the airport, they are all in very high-risk areas.
“We can only pray, pray a lot so that they reach an agreement.
Let us pray for this people so that the Lord will protect these people who are the ones who suffer the most. Unfortunately we can't help anyone and this is the real tragedy. Especially in the suburbs of Khartoum they are hungry and cannot buy anything to eat. All businesses are closed. There is nobody in the street, only the sound of bombs".
The country is in its fifth day of civil war and each of the parties, the Federal Army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accuses the other of violating the ceasefire planned to give the population the opportunity to get food and evacuate the wounded. Army fighters and helicopters fly over the capital and anti-aircraft units respond from the ground. Local press reports that many hospitals in Khartoum are out of service due to nearby artillery fire or being used as military barracks. The appeals of the union of doctors (Ccsd) have fallen on deaf ears (see Fides, 18/4/2023).
"Of the 59 base hospitals in the capital and in the Sudanese federal states adjacent to the conflict zones, 39 are 'out of service': nine because they were bombed and 16 after being forcibly evacuated," reports the Ccsd, which adds that in the same conflict zone there are another 20 hospitals that "are at risk of being closed due to a lack of medical personnel" and of various types of supplies, including electricity.
The International Red Cross has reported that “medical assistance cannot be provided because medical supplies have run out and all airports are blocked. The situation is desperate."
The situation of the population is dramatic. There have been assaults on shops by armed men. The two warring parties are not interested in a truce and intend to resolve the confrontation militarily. The fighting takes place inside the houses and there is a risk of a long-lasting urban guerrilla. (AP) (Agenzia Fides, 19/4/2023)
