Mohamed Dagalo: General Al-Burhan is a radical Islamist, he is bombing civilians

KHARTOUM - Intensive fighting between Sudanese Defense Forces and the Rapid Support Forces [RSF] continued on Tuesday in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, with the latter claiming to have seized strategic areas in the battleground, even as calls for ceasefire rented the air from members of the international community.

General Mohamed Hamdan Daglao, the commander of RSF and Vice President of the Transitional Sovereign Council accused General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, the president of the council, of engineering the conflict, which has already claimed over 97 lives with about 700 people mainly combatants critically injured.

In a series of tweets, Dagalo asked the international community to intervene while labeling Al-Burhan as a "radical Islamist who is bombing civilians from the air". His army is waging a brutal campaign against innocent people, bombing them with MiGs, he added in his first-ever statement since fighting broke out.

"We are fighting against radical Islamists who hope to keep Sudan isolated and in the dark, and far removed from democracy. We will continue to pursue Al-Burhan and bring him to justice," Daglao said, even as the clashes intensified in the city and some strategic towns outside the capital.

Fighting broke out on Saturday within Khartoum as RSF, a paramilitary force that is set to be integrated into the national army, ran riot against bases of the Sudanese army, leading to a fierce gun battle. The army denied claims that it has lost the presidential palace and Khartoum International Airport to the paramilitary.

While both sides claim early victory, the property has been destroyed and lives lost, further derailing the implementation of an agreement seeking to restore democracy in the country. The army is reportedly plotting airstrikes against RSF which could escalate the conflict to dangerous levels.

"The fight that we are waging now is the price of democracy. We did not attack anyone," Dagalo said, in the statement. "Our actions are merely a response to the siege and assault against our forces. We are fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress, for which they have so long yearned."

"We are taking every possible measure to ensure the safety and security of the people. We will not allow any harm to come to them, and we will do everything within our power to protect democracy and uphold rule of law in Sudan. We will prevail and achieve peace and stability," he added.

Inter-Governmental Authority on Development [IGAD] has instructed Kenya's President William Ruto and his South Sudanese counterpart Salva Kiir along with Djibouti's Omar Guelleh to intervene and save the country from plunging into civil war. The three leaders are expected to initiate peace processes.

Sudan has been unstable for three years since the ouster of Omar al-Bashir, a dictator who ruled the country for close to three decades. But his exit has left a huge void including serious differences between the military and civilians who engineered the revolution, and now the inter-military skirmishes which could leave thousands dead.

GAROWE ONLINE