Fighter jet shot down amidst ongoing clashes in Sudan

GOOBJOOG NEWS | KHARTOUM: An army plane was shot down Tuesday in Sudan’s capital Khartoum as clashes characterized by artillery fire targeting several neighborhoods continued.

According to sources within the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) the pilots of the plane escaped as the plane plummeted towards the ground and were arrested by the RSF forces as soon as they landed.

The RSF has accused the Sudanese army led by Genera; Abdel Fattah al-Burhane of committing “heinous massacres” in Khartoum region in a conflict that has killed nearly 3000 people according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) which also notes that the conflict has displaced over 2.8 million people.

Witnesses also reported that the Army also “launched rockets and heavy artillery” at RSF bases in the centre and north of the capital, a witness said. Homes were damaged and civilians were rushed to one of the few hospitals still operational, another added.

In Khartoum and the western Darfur region, the fighting mainly affected densely populated neighborhoods. The streets are littered with dead bodies and houses have been targeted by missiles, witnesses said.

Trapped by the fighting, civilians have had to ration water, food, electricity and medicine for almost three months.

• By Fauxile Kibet