Armed Clashes in Sudan
On 15 April 2023, armed clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the regular army in the Sudanese capital Khartoum were reported. Later, the fighting between the military forces spread to other Sudanese regions.

WHO Warns of 'High Risk of Biological Hazard' After Fighters Seize Sudanese Lab

© AP Photo / Marwan AliA house hit in recent fighting Is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Sudan's warring generals have pledged to observe a new three-day truce that was brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia to try to pull Africa's third-largest nation from the abyss
A house hit in recent fighting Is seen in Khartoum, Sudan, Tuesday, April 25, 2023. Sudan's warring generals have pledged to observe a new three-day truce that was brokered by the United States and Saudi Arabia to try to pull Africa's third-largest nation from the abyss - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 25.04.2023
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Over the past 10 days, the capital Khartoum and other Sudanese cities have borne the brunt of clashes between Sudan's national army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As the fighting rages on, a slate of foreign countries, including Venezuela, Canada and Turkiye, has begun evacuating their diplomatic personnel.
There is a "high risk of biological hazard" after one of the warring parties seized a laboratory holding measles and cholera pathogens, in addition to other hazardous materials in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Tuesday.
The armed clashes between the Sudanese military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries have left roughly 459 people dead and 4,072 injured, said Nima Saeed Abid, a WHO representative in Sudan, noting that technicians were unable to access the Sudanese National Public Health Laboratory to secure the materials.
"This is the main concern: no accessibility to the lab technicians to enter to the lab and safely contain the biological material and substances available there," he stated, without specifying which side of the warring parties made the seizure.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, right, greets the Italian Ambassador to Sudan, Michele Tommasi disembarked from an Air Force plane carrying Italian citizens evacuated from Sudan landed at the Ciampino Military airport in Rome, Monday, April 24, 2023.  - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 25.04.2023
Armed Clashes in Sudan
Sudanese Military, RSF Agree to 72-Hour Ceasefire as Foreign Evacuation of Diplomats Continues
The WHO’s statement comes as the conflict between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces, which erupted in Khartoum on April 15, carries on.
At the time when the conflict erupted, the sides were trading accusations over who shot at whom. The army attacked the positions of the special forces, some of them were claimed by the Sudanese military to have been taken under control. Later, the leadership of the armed forces announced the dissolution of the Rapid Support Forces, refusing to negotiate with them.
Amid the clashes, the United Nations humanitarian office (OCHA) was forced to suspend some of its activities in several areas of Sudan. At least five aid workers have been killed since the armed conflict broke out and the two UN agencies who lost staff, the International Organization for Migration and the World Food Program, suspended their activities, according to Reuters.
Earlier today, a newly-agreed-on 72-hour truce took hold. The last time, the sides agreed to a temporary ceasefire related to the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which was on April 20.
The truce is seen by observers as necessary, among other things, so that the Sudanese, who have been trapped in their homes for several days since the onset of the hostilities, can get out of the country's capital.
Meanwhile, a growing list of countries have evacuated diplomats, staff and others from Sudan, as the fierce fighting rages on in the country's capital.
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