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Sudan crisis: Turkish evacuation plane shot at after ceasefire

Sudan crisis: Turkish evacuation plane shot at after ceasefire

Turkish plane shot at in Sudan

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary rebel group, have been accused by the Sudanese military of firing at a Turkish evacuation plane on Friday (April 28).

The Turkish C-130 plane was on its way to the Wadi Seidna airfield in northern Sudan to bring backTurkish nationals from the war-torn country, according to the Sudanese military forces, when "rebels" opened fire on it. The official Sudan News Agency reported that the jet had been damaged and one crew member injured.

On Twitter, the Turkish Ministry of Defence acknowledged that its aircraft had been shot at at the airport. According to the ministry, nobody was injured.

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Later, reporters were informed by Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar that two planes had been sent to Sudan for the evacuations. While the damage to the gunfire-damaged plane is being evaluated, one of them returned. No casualties were reported, and he emphasised that evacuations will go on as usual.

In a statement, the RSF denied firing shots at the Turkish evacuation plane.

“We refute these claims and categorically state that they are not based on any factual evidence,” it read.

What is happening in Sudan?

The RSF and the armed forces have been engaged in a battle in Sudan for almost two weeks now. The conflict has continued despite several attempts at a ceasefire. A military-RSF ceasefire that was supposed to terminate on Thursday was prolonged for a further 72 hours. Since April 15, at least 512 people have died and 4,193 have been injured in fighting, according to the Sudanese health ministry.

ALSO READ |Sudanese army, RSF agree to extend truce by 72 hours

Despite the ceasefire, fighting went on in the southern Sudanese region of Darfur, and on Thursday, RSF positions in Khartoum were attacked by Sudanese fighter jets.

Evacuation attempts

Turkey has been attempting to mediate between the warring parties in Sudan, as have other nations in the area. Last week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attempted to reach out to both sides.

For days, Turkey and a number of other Middle Eastern and European nations have been demanding that their citizens leave Sudan. The US swiftly evacuated its diplomats, but it has not yet launched a significant effort to evacuate its citizens. Al-Monitor reported on Thursday that according to the US State Department, an overland evacuation of US citizens was planned.

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