CAIRO, April 19. /TASS/. The Sudanese Armed Forces took the military base in the city of Merowe under control, Al Arabiya reported Wednesday.
According to the report, the military gained full control over the military base, which was previously occupied by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which fight against the Army.
The Merowe airport was one of highly contested points in the standoff between the Army and the special forces.
Al Arabiya’s footage shows the airport’s tower with shattered windows. Both civilian and military planes were damaged by the fight, but several machines remain intact. One hangar sustained significant damage.
The situation in Sudan escalated amid disagreements between the army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the ruling Sovereign Council, and the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), who is al-Burhan’s deputy on the council. On April 13, the Sudanese Army presented an ultimatum to the RSF, demanding withdrawal from Merowe within 24 hours. As tensions escalated, the RSF pulled reinforcements to Merowe.
The active phase of the conflict started on April 15, when clashes erupted between the two structures in Merowe and the capital city of Khartoum. The RSF claimed control over airports of Merowe and Khartoum the same day, but this information was debunked by the Sudanese Army representative later.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 300 people were killed and 2,600 were injured in the hostilities. Meanwhile, Sudanese medics report at least 174 civilians killed and 1,041 injured.