Wed | Jul 1, 2026

Crowds of those seeking rescue swell at Sudan’s main seaport

Published:Tuesday | May 2, 2023 | 9:55 PM
In this screen grab taken from video, Sudanese and foreigners arrive in Port Sudan, the country's main seaport, as they wait to be evacuated out of Sudan, Saturday, April 29, 2023. Sudanese fleeing the fighting between rival generals in their capital flooded an already overwhelmed city on the Red Sea and Sudan’s northern borders with Egypt, as explosions and gunfire echoed Tuesday in Khartoum. (AP photo/Smowal Abdalla)

CAIRO (AP) — Exhausted Sudanese and foreigners joined growing crowds at Sudan's main seaport Tuesday, waiting to be evacuated from the chaos-stricken nation.

After more than two weeks of fighting, areas of the capital of Khartoum appear increasingly abandoned.

The battle for control of Sudan erupted on April 15, after months of escalating tensions between the military, led by General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

Other nations have tried to convince the two generals to stop the fighting and come to the negotiating table.

The government of South Sudan, which officially split from Sudan in 2011, said Tuesday that the two rival generals have agreed in “principle” on a weeklong cease-fire starting on Thursday, and on engaging in peace talks.

The statement did not elaborate on the possible venue or timing for the talks.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.