Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16, 2023. | AFP

The Sudanese army, also the de facto government, has given foreigners including South Sudanese a two-week ultimatum to leave the capital Khartoum amid daily clashes with paramilitary RSF.

The government-owned Sudan News Agency (SUNA), attributed the statement to the Director of the Department of Foreigners and Immigration Control in Khartoum State.

Col. Nazar Khalil reportedly said this decision comes in the context of the ongoing confrontations in the area since the outbreak of war in April 2023.

Col. Khalil pointed out that the directives came from the Khartoum State Security Coordination Committee to prevent foreign nationals from harm during the conflict period.

“This order came after Ethiopians and other nationalities from South Sudan, Chad, Mali, and Niger were involved in fighting alongside the Rapid Support Forces against the army, especially in sniping and artillery shelling,” he said.

The situation in Khartoum has been marked by significant instability and violence, leading to heightened security measures and restrictions for non-residents.

Media reports indicate that the army controls Karari locality and some neighborhoods of Old Omdurman, while the rest of Omdurman, Khartoum, and Khartoum North are subject to the control of the Rapid Support Forces, except for the headquarters and bases of the military armed forces.

Before the outbreak of war on April 15, 2023, Sudan was housing more than a million refugees, most of whom were South Sudanese who resided within the cities.

The country is also a crossing point for illegal immigration to Europe from West African countries

The governor of Khartoum State Ahmed Osman Hamza recently described the foreigners’ presence as the greatest security threat and pointed out that some nationals of the countries have become key fighters in the ranks of the RSF.