n Khartoum the situations is fairly calm this morning and people are circulating freely, though many offices have remained closed. The military presence is massive. Soldiers are presiding every street, every corner of the city and the bridges that take from North Khartoum to Omdurman (a city on western banks of the Nile, theatre on Saturday to the heaviest fighting) remain closed for security reasons”, said a MISNA source that just returned to Khartoum, in describing the situation in the city after crossing through this morning by car.
Based on information from various sources in the city, tension is particularly high in Omdurman, the ‘ancient’ city on the opposite bank of Khartoum, where also today shots were heard. “The shooting took place in the Almuhandseen
neighborhood, but was apparently linked to the large-scale police operation rather than new attacks”, said the MISNA source, who requested anonymity.
New tolls are beginning to circulate of the violent fighting over the weekend, particularly Saturday, between rebels of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) and government forces. According to anonymous sources of the Interior ministry, quoted by the international press, at least 255 rebels and 77 soldiers were killed in the fighting. MISNA sources refer that the local radios at around lunchtime already reported nearly 500 dead, including some 400 rebels and around a hundred soldiers.
“At the moment it is very difficult to give precise figures, we are still gathering information. I can however tell you that in the two hospitals we cooperate with we so far registered 30 deaths and 150 wounded”, said Iris Meierhans, spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), adding that other city hospitals have asked the ICRC for medical provisions due to the high number of admissions over the past 48 hours.
The military presence is massive. Soldiers are presiding every street, every corner of the city and the bridges remain closed for security reasons
Sudanese police sources confirmed to MISNA the reports of numerous arrests being conducted in the city, particularly of people of the Zaghawa ethnic group (to which most JEM members belong) and other “black” Sudanese groups. The police and military in fact received orders to check on all suspicious people based on security information indicating that many rebels are still hidden in civilian clothing in the city (mainly North Khartoum and Omdurman).
“Anyone found without identity papers is brought in for questioning”, said a MISNA source. Meanwhile, religious sources contacted in the city said that all religious personnel (missionary and non) present in the Omdurman area (where there are numerous missionaries that run schools, dispensaries and structures for Sudanese refugees of past and current conflicts) are well. “They have remained closed in their homes since Saturday and fortunately it appears that none were caught in the fighting”, said a religious source, who requested to remain anonymous.
(From MISNA)