Khartoum in Darkness: Internet and Mobile Networks Severed Amidst Ongoing Conflict
War-torn The communications blackout in Khartoum’s capital lasted for several hours on Friday, according to locals, as the army and paramilitary forces fought intense conflicts across the city.
As “violent clashes” raged in a number of the city’s neighborhoods, witnesses told AFP via landline that vital internet and mobile phone connections, which have been crucial to obtaining information and supplies for nearly three months of the war, were out of service.
According to locals, some mobile networks were restored by 11:00 a.m. (0900 GMT) even though the cause of the malfunction was unclear at the time.
Throughout the morning, columns of black smoke could be seen ascending near the army headquarters in the center of Khartoum and in the south of the city. According to witnesses in Khartoum North, there were “clashes involving an assortment of weapons.” Just across the Nile from Omdurman, witnesses reported seeing fighter aircraft and drones flying overhead.
Isolated at home Since April 15, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been engaged in conflict with his erstwhile deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
ALSO READ: Sudan on Brink of Civil War: UN Warns as 22 Killed in Air Raid
According to the United Nations, more than 1.5 million Khartoum residents have been compelled to flee aerial attacks, tanks, and armed combatants on the streets, and widespread looting.
Fearing being caught in the crossfire of brutal urban warfare in Khartoum’s densely populated neighborhoods or being assaulted on the street, millions have remained confined to their homes.
Establishing crowdsourcing initiatives for escape routes, food, and medicine, they have frequently relied on the Internet for their basic requirements.
According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, fighting has slain at least 3,000 people in Sudan, with the worst fighting occurring in Khartoum and the western region of Darfur.
The International Criminal Court announced on Thursday that it has initiated investigations into alleged war crimes, following an increase in reports of atrocities, particularly in Darfur, including sexual violence and the ethnic targeting of civilians.
Khartoum in Darkness: Internet and Mobile Networks Severed Amidst Ongoing Conflict
HEY READER. PLEASE SUPPORT THIS SITE BY CLICKING ADS. DON’T FORGET TO HIT THE NOTIFICATION BELL FOR MORE UPDATES AROUND THE GLOBE.
