Egyptian soldiers captured by RSF in Sudan, videos claim

The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group who have been involved in clashes with the Sudanese army since Saturday have published a video purportedly showing Egyptian soldiers that they captured in Sudan.

The Egyptian soldiers reportedly surrendered to the heavily armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Merowe, north Sudan, where they are said have been partaking in joint exercise with Sudanese soldiers.

The RSF accuses them of siding with the Sudanese army.

Fighting broke out after weeks of tension between Sudan's ruling general, Abdul Fattah Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the RSF.

One video shared on social media shows the soldiers purportedly surrendering to the RSF, while another video published on the paramilitary’s Twitter account shows the soldiers sat on the floor.

Some of the men in the video can be heard speaking in an Egyptian dialect.

مشاهد جديد تظهر اللحظات الأولى لاستسلام الجنود المصريين لقوات #الدعم_السريع في مروي شمال #السودان حيث سلموا أنفسهم دون قتال.#مصر #السيسي #مروي pic.twitter.com/ubWxQDw6kj

— تغطية (@coveragetheard) April 15, 2023

كتيبه من الجيش والقوات المصرية تسلم نفسها لقوات الدعم السريع بمروي⭕
ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ#قوات_الدعم_السريع#جاهزية_سرعة_حسم pic.twitter.com/3t4oNoCpPg

— Rapid Support Forces - قوات الدعم السريع (@RSFSudan) April 15, 2023

The Egyptian army said it was closely following the situation in Sudan and that it is working to ensure the security of the Egyptian forces "who are present there to conduct training" with their Sudanese counterparts.

Egypt's Foreign Ministry said it was following up on the situation of its citizens, calling on them to avoid areas of tension.

"We are in round-the-clock communication with the Egyptian embassy in Khartoum to check on the Egyptian community and missions in Sudan," the ministry’s spokesman said on Twitter.

نتواصل علي مدار الساعة مع السفارة المصرية فى الخرطوم للاطمئنان علي الجالية والبعثات المصرية فى السودان..بعثات مصر التعليمية والأزهر والري المصرى والبنك الأهلى وقنصلياتنا فى بور سودان ووادى حلفا وشركات القطاع الخاص المصرية ومصر للطيران ووكالة أنباء الشرق الأوسط جميعهم بخير وسلام.

— Egypt MFA Spokesperson (@MfaEgypt) April 15, 2023

The Egyptian foreign ministry called for calm and restraint and an immediate ceasefire in Sudan.

However, Egyptian analysts speculated that their country could become involved in the Sudanese conflict.

"It seems that Egypt will get involved in the current conflict in Sudan, as the Rapid Support Forces announced the capture of several Egyptian fighters at Merowe airport and accuses Egypt of being an occupying power," Egyptian journalist Samir Al-Araki wrote on Facebook

Egyptian opposition politician Amr Abdel-Hadi said scenes of the Egyptian soldiers surrendering were humiliating.

"They could’ve filmed them without forcing them to raise their hands. But they deliberately insulted the Egyptian soldiers to convey a message of insult to the [Egyptian] regime," he wrote on Twitter, with a picture of the soldiers.

اخص
كان ممكن يصوروهم بطريقه عاديه بدون رفع ايديهم
لكن تعمدوا اهانة الجنود المصريين لتوصيل رسالة اهانه للنظام
لولا أن الجيش مشغول في الكحك كان زمانه طلع جابهم ورجع اصبروا علينا بعد العيد يا مجرمين
مليشيات حميدتي علمت على الجيش المصري
للاسف النظام لو اتفاوض هيتفاوض على الطيارات بس pic.twitter.com/EP9Ipr2qyh

— 🅰🅼🆁 عمرو عبد الهادي (@amrelhady4000) April 15, 2023

Residents of the Sudanese capital Khartoum awoke on Saturday to heavy fighting between the RSF and Sudanese military, as both sides traded attacks on each other's bases.

At least 56 people have so far died and hundreds more injured in the violence, according to the latest toll.

Both Burhan and Daglo have accused each other of starting the fighting, with both claiming control of key sites.

The two rival generals have controlled Sudan since an October 2021 military coup which ousted civilian Prime Minister Abdulla Hadok.

The latest violence, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, came after more than 120 civilians had already been killed in a crackdown on regular pro-democracy demonstrations over the past 18 months.