Well, well, well…looks like there’s trouble in paradise as fighting broke out in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, on April 15th between the country’s army and paramilitary forces. And let me tell you, things ain’t looking too good. Supplies are running low, workers haven’t slept in 48 hours, and some poor security guard got shot in the chest. Ouch.

The Alshaab Teaching Hospital was also hit on Monday morning, and 50 patients were transferred to Khartoum General Hospital. But, here’s the kicker. The generator there only had less than an hour of fuel left. And if that goes out, “most of these cases will die.” Yikes! That sounds like something straight out of a horror movie.

Now, if you thought things couldn’t get any worse, think again. Gunfire and explosions continued through the night and all day Monday, so it’s no surprise that the residents of Khartoum are feeling pretty helpless right now. One woman was even trapped with her 8-year-old son at his school for three days. Can you imagine?! And, to top it off, looting and chaos are also taking place in other cities. What a disaster.

But wait, there’s more. Both sides agreed to a three-hour humanitarian pause starting at 4 pm local time Sunday, but guess what? The fighting never stopped. Tensions have been simmering for months, and it seems that Sudan was just a tinderbox waiting for a spark. Some say the problem lies in the draft deal signed by its two most powerful leaders, which elevated one into a direct threat to the other. Whatever the reason, it’s not looking good for Sudan.

The Western nations have voiced their concerns and pleaded with Sudan’s military leaders to put a stop to the fighting. But let’s face it, what leverage do they have? Sudan needs billions of dollars to pick itself up off the floor, and until these two men stop fighting, that’s not going to happen. And it seems like the two men, Hemedti and Burhan, have no intention of negotiating. Hemedti, in fact, has threatened to put Burhan on trial or see him “die like a dog.” Let’s hope they play nice before things escalate any further.

To add fuel to the fire, the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) is particularly strong in Darfur and was accused of some pretty heinous crimes. And let’s not forget, the former President Omar al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the Darfur conflict. So yeah, things are pretty intense over there, and the United Nations World Food Program has even temporarily halted its operations after three of its Sudanese staffers were killed in Darfur.

This is one situation we’ll be keeping an eye on. Let’s cross our fingers and hope Sudan gets the help it needs before it’s too late.

Serious News: washingtonpost