"Not unreasonably, Mariam Abdelghaffa had imagined her life as a grandmother would be somewhat different. As it was, on the morning of 11 August, she found herself bent double in a trench, awaiting the next onslaught. It arrived after dawn. She aimed her ancient AK-47 at the pickup trucks racing towards her. Rockets screeched overhead. Suicide drones the size of light aircraft loomed above. Shells rained down."
"Fighting broke out in Khartoum, Sudan's capital, on 15 April 2023 as an escalating power struggle between the two main factions of the military regime finally turned deadly. On one side are the Sudanese armed forces, who remain broadly loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country's de facto ruler. Against him are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a collection of militias who follow the former warlord Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti."
"The RSF was initially founded by the former dictatorial ruler Omar al-Bashir as an Arab counterinsurgency militia called the Janjaweed, which quickly became synonymous with widespread atrocities. In 2013, Bashir transformed the group into the RSF, deploying them to crush a fresh rebellion in South Darfur. The conflict has plunged Sudan into one of the worst humanitarian nightmares in recent history, according to UN officials."
Fighting began in Khartoum on 15 April 2023 as a power struggle between Sudanese armed forces loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). The RSF originated as the Janjaweed under Omar al-Bashir and was formalized as the RSF in 2013, deployed to South Darfur. Urban battles have involved pickup trucks, rockets, suicide drones, artillery, and other heavy weapons, causing widespread destruction. Medical services, fuel, bandages, and medicine have been exhausted in frontline cities like El Fasher. The fighting has produced massive displacement and a severe humanitarian crisis.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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