KHARTUM, Apr 15 Head of the Transitional Sovereign Council of Sudan, Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah Burhan issued a decree disbanding the Rapid Reaction Force, the country's General Security Service said on Twitter.
A correspondent in Sudan this morning reported the start of clashes between the rapid reaction forces and the regular army in the capital, Khartoum. Now the fighting has spread to other regions.
Earlier today, the Sudanese Rapid Reaction Force announced that they had taken control of the Palace of the Republic (Presidential Palace) in Khartoum, the international airport, and the air base in Merov in the north of the country. At the same time, representatives of the RRF accused the country's regular army of attacking its base in the capital with «the use of all types of weapons.»
The Sudanese Armed Forces, in turn, denied the statements of the RRF. They emphasized that all strategic facilities, including the presidential palace, are controlled by the army. The department also noted that the RRF fighters attacked them first. The army and the General Security Service of Sudan called the rapid reaction forces rebels and accused them of attacking state and strategic facilities.
On Thursday night, the Sudanese army issued a sharp statement, noting that the deployment of rapid reaction forces in Khartoum and some other cities «is illegal and passed without agreement and coordination with the Armed Forces.» The reason for such statements, according to media reports, was the sudden deployment of RRF units near the airport of the city of Merov in the north of the country. . According to his sources, the Sudanese Armed Forces gave the RRF a certain amount of time to leave the city. In turn, the rapid reaction forces themselves stated that their presence in Merov is within the scope of their tasks and duties.