Over 300 Sudanese soldiers flee to Chad

Chadian authorities Wednesday said 320 Sudanese soldiers have sought refuge in their country after fleeing fighting tights between Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries and army, both vying for power.

“320 members of the Sudanese Armed Forces, Gendarmerie, Police and Army surrendered to our forces for fear of being killed by the Rapid Support Forces,” Chad’s Defense Minister Daoud Yaya Ibrahim said at a news conference.

Ibrahim added that the fleeing soldiers have laid down their arms and have been camped. Sudan has slid into military confrontation opposing the army and RSF. The clashes erupted Saturday and have been going despite international calls for truce and ceasefire.

Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo who commands the RSF, seized power in 2021 military coup. Both former allies, are now opposed on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army — a key condition for a final deal aimed at restoring Sudan’s democratic transition.

The deadly fighting which concentrates in capital Khartoum prompted thousands of civilians to flee the city of a 5 million-strong population.