In Sudan's capital Khartoum there are shots and explosions - then tanks roll through the streets.
Tensions between militarized forces in the country are escalating.
Sudan in chaos: The power struggles in the African country are escalating.
UN Secretary-General Guterres condemns fighting: Blinken also calls for an end to the violence.
Update from April 15, 6:25 p.m.:
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned the fighting in Sudan.
Guterres urged the conflicting parties on Saturday to "immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and initiate dialogue to resolve the current crisis."
Any further escalation will have devastating effects on the civilian population and exacerbate the precarious humanitarian situation.
In the meantime, the states in the region must contribute to defusing the conflict.
Escalating situation in Sudan: Heavy fighting and tanks on the streets
Report from April 15, 5:47 p.m.:
Khartoum – The situation in Sudan is escalating: In the African country, fighting broke out in several parts of the country in the course of a power struggle between the army and an important paramilitary group.
In the capital Khartoum, shots and explosions could be heard in several neighborhoods since Saturday morning, including at the airport and near the presidential palace in the north of the city.
There was also fighting in the south of the city.
There is the headquarters of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which was supposed to be integrated into the state military.
At least three people were killed in Khartoum, but many more victims were expected.
According to media reports, fighting also broke out in the states of White Nile and North Darfur.
Sudanese soldiers march into RSF headquarters on Saturday morning
Sudanese soldiers marched into their headquarters on Saturday morning, the RSF said.
According to reports and eyewitnesses, RSF forces attacked Khartoum airport.
The RSF initially reported that they had taken control of the presidential palace and the airport.
The Sudanese army contradicted this on Twitter.
The information provided by both sides could not initially be independently confirmed.
The Luftwaffe attacked RSF bases.
According to eyewitnesses, at least two tanks were deployed in Khartoum.
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Smoke over the Sudanese capital Khartoum.
© AFP
Since the fall of long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, the military led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has held power in the country.
The army and RSF under leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo had jointly taken power again in autumn 2021, but tensions between the two military leaders have increased in recent months.
The dispute is delaying the transition to a civilian government promised by ruler al-Burhan.
In the event of an escalation, violent clashes were feared that could lead to a civil war.
US Secretary of State Blinken: "We urge all involved to stop violence immediately"
In a television interview, Al-Burhan accused the RSF of attacking strategic targets and his house.
The situation is now under control again, he told the Al-Jazeera broadcaster on Saturday afternoon.
However, gunshots and explosions continued to be reported in Khartoum and other parts of the country.
RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo told Al-Jazeera that he wanted to bring al-Burhan and his allies to justice.
Al-Burhan will either be captured "or die like a dog," he said.
He blamed those in power for the conflict.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote on Twitter: "We urge all involved to stop the violence immediately and to avoid further escalations or troop mobilizations and to continue talks to resolve outstanding issues." The US government is "deeply concerned" about the violence .
US Ambassador to Sudan John Godfrey confirmed on Twitter that gunfire and fighting could be heard in Khartoum.
He warned that an escalation in tensions between military entities was "extremely dangerous".
The German Foreign Office in Berlin spoke of "heavy armed conflicts" that also affected Khartoum Airport.
Flight operations had apparently been suspended there, it said.
The situation is unclear.
"Stay in a safe place and avoid all driving movements," the ministry warned.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt suspend flights to Sudan
Airlines from Saudi Arabia and Egypt want to suspend their flights to the country for the time being in view of the situation.
After the incident at Khartoum Airport, Saudi Arabian Airlines is suspending all connections to and from Sudan until further notice, the airline announced on Saturday.
According to the company, one of its machines - with passengers and crew on board - was damaged by gunfire before its departure in the morning.
There were no reports of injuries.
It was initially unclear who fired the shots.
"Flights to and from Sudan have been suspended to ensure the safety of guests and crew," the airline said.
She had initially spoken of an "accident".
The Egyptian state airline Egyptair announced that it would suspend all flight connections to and from Khartoum for 72 hours due to the security situation in the neighboring country.
Volker Perthes, the United Nations Special Envoy in Sudan, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
Both sides must ensure the safety of the Sudanese people and refrain from further violence.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also called for an immediate end to the violence.
"An escalation will only worsen the situation," he warned on Twitter.
The safety of the citizens is the top priority.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani also called for dialogue and an end to the violence.
He is following events closely, he tweeted.
Sudan: Democratic elections postponed indefinitely
On Thursday (April 13), the Sudanese army warned against the mobilization of the RSF.
Observers saw this as a threatening gesture against the rulers and supreme commander al-Burhan.
Most recently, Daglo surprisingly spoke out in favor of a rapid transition to a civilian government, thereby opposing al-Burhan.
According to the original plans, al-Burhan should have withdrawn from the interim government by 2021 at the latest, leaving the country to be run by civilians.
Instead, the military seized power again and postponed democratic elections indefinitely.
This week, the military postponed the appointment of a new prime minister and again delayed the transfer of power.
Around 46 million people live in the north-east African country.
(cgsc with dpa)
List of rubrics: © AFP