Clashes erupt in Sudan capital following killings by Daesh militants

Clashes erupted Monday in the Sudanese capital between security forces and alleged militants, a week after five officers were killed in the same area.

The shootout in the Jabra district of southern Khartoum prompted security forces to seal off streets, state media Sudan TV and an AFP correspondent reported.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties, but ambulances were seen rushing to the site.

Sudan TV said "an armed clash with a terrorist cell broke out in Jabra".

On September 28, Sudan's intelligence services said five counter-terrorism officers were killed during a raid in Jabra targeting a cell linked to the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group.

It said 11 militants from different "foreign countries" were arrested while four others escaped.

The latest clashes came with Sudan in the midst of a rocky transition following the April 2019 ouster of president Omar al-Bashir.

Between 1992 and 1996, it also hosted Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden who was expelled under US pressure after Washington placed Sudan on its list of "state sponsors of terrorism".

The US finally removed Sudan from its blacklist last December, after Khartoum agreed to normalise ties with Israel.

Sudanese political parties have rejected the government’s decision to normalize relations with Israel, with officials saying they will form an opposition front against the agreement.

Last year, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco agreed to normalize ties with Israel under pressure from former President Donald Trump’s administration.

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