CAIRO, May 16. /TASS/. The number of civilians killed in clashes between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces has risen to 822, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Tuesday.
"Civilian fatalities have reached 822 since the start of clashes," Sky News Arabia reported, citing the committee’s statement. The committee added that 3,215 civilians had suffered wounds.
According to the United Nations, the clashes killed 676 civilians and left 5,575 wounded as of May 14.
The situation in Sudan has escalated because of disagreements between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the head of the Rapid Reaction Force, Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidti), who is his deputy in the council. The main points of contention between the two military organizations pertain to the timeline and methods for unifying the armed forces of Sudan, as well as who should be appointed as commander-in-chief of the army: a career military officer, which is al-Burhan’s preferred option, or an elected civilian president, as Dagalo insists. On April 15, clashes broke out between the two groups near a military base in the city of Merowe and in the capital of Khartoum.