At least 9 civilians killed in Sudan clashes btw army, RSF

Explosions rocked the Sudanese capital Saturday after weeks of deepening tensions between military leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his number two, paramilitary commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has told media that the RSF attacked his residence at the army headquarters around 9am local time.

Here are the latest developments about Sudan's unrest on Saturday:

Number of casualties still unknown: 

In the clashes which started in Sudan on Saturday morning, so far, at least 9 people have been killed and several others have been injured, media have reported

This is while the death toll and the number of casualties has remained unknown due to the rapidity of the events in the impoverished country. Meanwhile, fierce fighting is reported to be continuing between the two sides.

According to Guardian Newspaper report, at least five people were reported to have been killed in Khartoum, the capital of the vast and strategic east African country, on Saturday and more in northern Darfur state during heavy fighting between Sudan armed forces, the regular military, and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Force (RSF), according to Sudan Doctor’s Committee, a local NGO. The death toll is expected to rise.

Iran voices concern over unrest in Sudan, urges for dialogue:

The spokesman of Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed his concern about the recent unrest in Sudan and urged the Sudanese to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.

African Union calls for urgent ceasefire:

The African Union has called for an “urgent” ceasefire in a news statement.

Egypt coordinating with Sudanese authorities on safety of Egyptian forces:

Egypt’s military is closely following the situation in Sudan and is coordinating with the relevant Sudanese authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, according to army spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez, Aljazeera reported.

His statement came as Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shared a video that they said showed Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan.

Army in control of presidential palace, military HQ and airport: Army chief

The army rejected assertions by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that they had seized the presidential palace, the army chief's residence and airports in Khartoum and the northern city of Merowe.

According to Reuters, army chief General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan told Al Jazeera TV, "We think if they are wise they will turn back their troops that came into Khartoum. But if it continues we will have to deploy troops into Khartoum from other areas."

Chad closes border with Sudan, calls for calm

Chad’s government has closed its border with Sudan and has called for calm.

“Chad appeals to the regional and international community as well as to all friendly countries to prioritise a return to peace,” it said in a statement.

Its 1,403km (872-mile) border with Sudan will remain closed until further notice, it said.

Saudi Arabia: 

The Saudi government said it was “deeply concerned” over the escalation and heavy fighting in Sudan. It called on the warring factions to “choose dialogue over conflict,” Aljazeera reported.

United Kingdom: 

Britain’s embassy in Sudan urged its nationals there to remain indoors.

“We are closely monitoring the situation in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan where there are ongoing military clashes,” the embassy said on Twitter. “We advise all British Nationals in Sudan to remain indoors and follow our travel advice for more updates.”

UAE calls on all parties in Sudan to exercise restraint:

The United Arab Emirates has called all parties in Sudan to exercise restraint, deescalate and work towards ending the crisis through dialogue, according to the state news agency.

The agency said that the UAE Embassy in Khartoum was following “with great concern the developments in Sudan and has reaffirmed the UAE’s position on the importance of de-escalation, and working towards finding a peaceful solution to the crisis between the concerned parties”.

Two army tanks detonated by RSF forces:

Media reported that after the coup attempt, the army deployed several tanks in the streets of Khartoum while the reports said the RSF forces blew up two tanks.

The reports said that the RSF blew up two tanks of the Sudanese army around the Sudan TV station in Khartoum.

RSF reports of capturing some Egyptian soldiers: 

The RSF has shared a video that it says shows Egyptian troops who had “surrendered” to them in Merowe, northern Sudan.

There was no clear explanation for the presence of Egyptian troops in Merowe, but Egyptian and Sudanese troops have periodically staged joint military exercises in the north of the country in the wake of diplomatic tensions with Ethiopia.

The video showed a number of men dressed in army fatigues crouched on the ground and speaking to members of the RSF in an Egyptian Arabic dialect to troops in RSF uniforms.

Reuters could not immediately verify the footage and Egyptian authorities did not immediately make any public comment on the matter.