Wednesday, April 19, 2023

"Sudan crisis: Shock and anger in Khartoum, a city not used to war"

Someone at the Beeb seems to have missed school the day they covered Gordon and The Mahdi and Kitchener of Khartoum and such.*

From the BBC, which is not state funded media; rather it is subscriber funded by mandatory payments compelled and enforced by the powers of the state including: administrative, civil and criminal law, police powers and paramilitary force [the state's monopoly on violence when deemed necessary}, April 16:

Khartoum city streets were mostly empty of people and traffic on Sunday, with both warring sides mounting roadblocks.

But long queues formed at bakeries and the few shops that remained open, as some people briefly ventured out to buy food before returning home to safety.

In the afternoon, there was a three-hour pause in hostilities to allow thousands of locked-down people to move and for the injured to get to hospital.

Among residents, there was shock - and also anger.

Unlike other parts of the country, such as the often turbulent western Darfur region, Khartoum is not used to war. This is the first time that people in the capital have seen such clashes.

Early on Monday, Sudan's doctors' union said almost 100 civilians had been killed in the city, but after two days of fighting, the true number of victims is likely to be higher.

Khartoum resident Kholood Khair told the BBC that residents could not be sure of safety anywhere.

"All civilians have been urged to stay at home, but that has not kept everyone safe," she said.

"There are lots of people either being in their homes or being sort of in and around their homes, on the rooftops, in the gardens et cetera, that have been either hurt or killed by a stray bullet."....

....MORE
*Jumping into the story first via ThoughtCo:
Mahdist War: Siege of Khartoum 
The Siege of Khartoum lasted from March 13, 1884 to January 26, 1885, and took place during the Mahdist War (1881-1899). In early 1884, Major General Charles "Chinese" Gordon arrived to take command of British and Egyptian forces in Khartoum. Though tasked with extracting his command from the area before Mahdist rebels arrived, he elected to defend the city. The resulting siege saw Gordon's garrison overwhelmed and wiped out shortly before a relief force arrived. The failure to rescue Gordon and his men was blamed on Prime Minister William Gladstone and caused his government to fall....

Enter Kitchner of Khartoum via the Kitchener Scholars Association:

Field Marshal 1st Earl
Kitchener of Khartoum

"Field Marshal Earl Kitchener of Khartoum, the hero of the Sudan from another era, has had his reputation reinstated in a new biography to mark the 100th anniversary of his greatest victory, at Omdurman.

Despite his detractors, Kitchener was responsible for laying the foundations of what was to become one of the best governed countries in the British Empire, according to John Pollock, author of Kitchener: the Road to Omdurman." Michael Evans The Times 28th August 1998....

Thirteen years after Gordon was killed, Kitchener on September 2, 1898, beat the biggest of the Mahdi's armies at Omdurman a bit downstream and on the other side of the Nile and made his way into Khartoum the next day.

Back to the present day:
https://www.theguardian.com › world › 2023 › apr › 18 › fighting-in-sudan-in-maps-satellite-imagery-and-video?ref=upstract.com
Fighting in Sudan in maps, satellite imagery and video
Today Key buildings and infrastructure have been damaged in fighting in the Sudanese capital. Major battle zones have included the military's headquarters and the neighbouring airport. Khartoum North...