14 civilians killed in battle for Khartoum police HQ

At least 14 civilians have been killed in war-torn Sudan‍‍`s capital as rival forces are locked in a key battle over control of the Khartoum police headquarters, activists said yesterday.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which since mid-April has been fighting Sudan‍‍`s regular army, announced late Sunday a "victory in the battle for the police HQ".

"The headquarters is under out complete control... and we have seized a large number of vehicles, arms and munitions," the RSF said in a statement, noting the capture of pick-up trucks, armoured vehicles and tanks.

If the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, maintain their hold on the strategic site, it "would have a major impact on the battle of Khartoum", a former army officer told AFP, requesting anonymity.

Nearly 2,800 people have been killed across Sudan since a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Daglo spilled into war more than two months ago, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

The actual death toll is expected to be much higher, with both forces failing to report casualties and many bodies left lying in the streets of Khartoum and in the western region of Darfur, where most of the violence has occurred.

The Khartoum police headquarters, on the southern edge of the city, gives the RSF "control of the southern entrance to the capital", the former officer said.

The presence of the paramilitaries there can also pose "a serious threat to the armoured corps headquarters" nearby, one of the army‍‍`s most important strongholds in south Khartoum.

While army forces loyal to Burhan vow to recapture the police headquarters, video footage released by the RSF shows the paramilitaries have already seized vast amounts of arms and munitions.

An army source said RSF has lost "more than 400 men" in the battle for police headquarters. The paramilitaries have not provided any casualty figures. On Sunday, "14 civilians including two children were killed" in that area, according to a network of activists evacuating the wounded to the few hospitals still operating.