US Ambassador to Sudan urges end to fighting
United States Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey said he was sheltering with his team in Khartoum amid “deeply disturbing” sounds of gunfire.
Ambassador Godfrey called on the military leaders to immediately end the fighting.
“I am currently sheltering in place with the Embassy team, as Sudanese throughout Khartoum and elsewhere are doing,” he tweeted.
“Escalation of tensions within the military component to direct fighting is extremely dangerous. I urgently call on senior military leaders to stop the fighting.”
Earlier, the paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) said they have taken control of the Presidential Palace and the country’s main airport, as tensions between the force and the army erupted into violence.
Heavy fighting has been reported around the Presidential Palace and Army Headquarters in the capital Khartoum, witnesses told CNN.
In a statement, the RSF also claimed control of airports in Khartoum, Marwa and al-Abiad.
Flights have been suspended inbound and outbound from the airport in Khartoum.
The RSF said they were responding to a surprise attack from the army on one of their bases.
The military has been in charge of Sudan since a coup in 2021, which ended a power sharing arrangement formed following the ousting of long-term former President Omar al-Bashir.
