Sudanese paramilitary group claims control of Presidential Palace in apparent coup bid

The Sudanese paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) say they have taken control of the Presidential Palace, as tensions between the force and the army erupted into violence.

Heavy fighting has been reported around the Presidential Palace and Army Headquarters in the capital Khartoum, witnesses told CNN.

A Reuters journalist saw cannon and armored vehicles deployed in streets, and heard the sound of heavy weapons fire near the headquarters of both the army and RSF.

In a statement, the RSF also claimed control of airports in Khartoum, Marwa and al-Abiad. Flights have been suspended inbound and outbound from the airport in Khartoum.

The RSF said they were responding to a surprise attack from the army on one of their bases.

Sudan’s Armed Forces Command said in a statement that it was fighting the RSF in Khartoum, accusing the group of “traitorous plotting” against the country.

The US ambassador to Sudan said he was sheltering amid the clashes in the capital.

“I just arrived late last night in Khartoum and woke up to the deeply disturbing sounds of gunfire and fighting,” Ambassador John Godfrey said in a tweet.

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the situation in Khartoum is “fragile” when asked by a reporter to comment during a presser in Vietnam.

“The major parties in Khartoum, some weeks ago reached a very important framework agreement on how to proceed with a transition to civilian government. And there’s been real progress in trying to move that forward,” Blinken said on Saturday.

The military has been in charge of Sudan since a coup in 2021, which ended a power sharing arrangement formed following the ousting of long-term former President Omar al-Bashir.

Talks have been under way on integrating the RSF into the army as part of the move towards the return of civilian rule, Reuters reports.