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| The ongoing clashes in Sudan are intensifying day by day: the evacuation of foreigners, including Pakistani citizens, continues |
Due to the daily intensification of the recent clashes in Sudan, several rescue operations have been conducted to evacuate foreign nationals safely from the country. These operations have been carried out by land, air, and sea means.
The main airport of the capital Khartoum is the center of these fierce clashes and is under the control of the paramilitary group RSF.
This is the reason why the evacuation is being diverted to the port of Sudan in the Red Sea, which is located a drive of 850 kilometers from Khartoum.
Meanwhile, several countries have conducted operations to evacuate their citizens from Sudan. Saudi Arabia facilitated the evacuation of 150 people, including foreign diplomats, from Sudan by ship.
In this rescue operation, many Pakistanis were also rescued by Saudi Arabia, but their details were not released. Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari thanked Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan for rescuing Pakistanis through a phone call.
The United States and Britain announced on Sunday that they have ensured the withdrawal of their diplomats from the country. France, Germany, Italy,,,,,,,,,, and Spain have also stepped up operations to evacuate diplomats from Sudan.
It should be noted that during the past more than a week, the clashes between the country's army and paramilitary forces in Sudan have increased violence throughout the country.
The US embassy in Khartoum is now closed and his tweet says it is not safe for the government to deport US citizens.
Foreign students from Africa, Asia,,,,,,,,,, and the Middle East in Khartoum have repeatedly appealed for help. Meanwhile, there are also reports of internet blackouts in Sudan, due to which rescue activities are being badly affected.
Due to these clashes, the capital has been heavily bombed, killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands.
The people of Khartoum are also facing power outages and a lack of clean water for food and drinking due to the bombing and exchange of fire in these continuous clashes.
During this time, the cease-fire agreements made at various times were completely ignored and the three-day break during Eid al-Fitr was also ignored.
Sudan and Russian mercenaries
Today, a Russian private military company Wagner Force is being talked about on social media.
The private company is currently fighting alongside the Russian military in Ukraine but has denied any involvement in the recent conflict in Sudan.
Yevgeny Preghosen, who has close ties to President Putin, says that none of his company's fighters have been in Sudan for the past two years.
The BBC found no evidence of recent involvement in Sudan by these Russian mercenaries, but there is evidence of the Wagner company's previous activities in Sudan, and the group faces sanctions from the US and EU.
Gold mining contracts
In 2017, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir signed several agreements with the Russian government during his visit to Moscow. These include an agreement with Russia to allow Russia to set up a naval base at a port in Sudan on the Red Sea and an agreement to allow Russian company M Invest to mine gold together with the Ministry of Minerals in Sudan at discounted rates.
The US Treasury Department claims that MInvest and its subsidiary Miro Gold are actually used as fronts for the Wagner Group's activities in Sudan.
In 2020, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said that "Yeugene Preghosen and his network are exploiting Sudan's natural resources for their own personal interests and having a negative impact around the world."
According to research conducted by CNN, the gold trade in the Central African country of Sudan is done through land routes and the export trade data in this regard is not provided officially.
According to a newspaper called Daily Telegraph, last year a large amount of gold was smuggled through military airports.
The Wagner Group's network has not only existed in Sudan but has also played a role in promoting military and commercial interests in other parts of Africa.
Have Wagner personnel been seen in Sudan recently?
Since 2017, Russian and international sources have published photographs that purport to show the presence of Russian mercenaries in Sudan.
In the images, they can be seen playing various roles, including training Sudanese soldiers or allegedly helping security forces crack down on protests. The BBC has not yet been able to independently verify the images.
In 2021, a Telegram channel linked to the Wagner group published photos of the group, including an anonymous high-ranking Wagner commander, awarding Sudanese troops at a ceremony held two years earlier. Then in July 2022, the same channel published a video purportedly showing members of the Wagner group practicing parachute landings with Sudanese soldiers.
An unidentified Russian hitman's Instagram profile can be seen describing himself as a 'freelancer' and sharing stories about his postings in Sudan in August and October 2021. Telling stories. In a propaganda film published by Wagner in 2020, Sudan is listed among these countries. It was added to where this group works.
How important is Wagner's presence in Sudan?
The U.S. Treasury Department says the Wagner Group has "conducted paramilitary operations, supported the survival of authoritarian regimes, and sought to seize their natural resources."
Dr......... Joanna de Deus Pereira of the UK-based Royal United Service Institute think tank believes that the group's involvement has increased in recent years.
At the beginning in the year 2018, more than 100 of their personnel were training the Sudanese army, and then with time, this number was seen to increase.
According to figures published by the Sudanese media, the number was at one time up to 500, most of whom were in the southwestern Sudanese city of Umm Dafuq. This too
Wagner's forces also tried to keep President Bashir in power in 2019 after he faced protests while in power and then was ousted from power.
The Sudan Tribune reported at the time that "Russian fighters" had been deployed to monitor anti-government protesters, a claim denied by Sudanese authorities.
Who will support the Wagner Group in Sudan?
According to author Dr. Samuel Ramini, the Wagner Group tried to keep President Bashir in power through its media content.
He says that Yevgeny Preghosen wanted the protesters to be called pro-Israel and anti-Islamic.
This saw tensions rise between the president's own security forces, so Wagner shifted his support to the man who had been instrumental in ousting Omar al-Bashir, General Abdel Fattah al-Barhan.
Is Wagner also involved with the Rapid Support Forces?
According to Dr. Ramani, in 2021 and 2022, Wagner Group expanded its ties with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is currently fighting the Sudanese army.
Preghosen wanted to get more gold through mines owned by RSF leader Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo (Hamidati), but Khulud Khair, a private think tank who monitors the situation in Sudan, believes that the Wagner Group is in the latest conflict. Not supporting any one side.
"Wagner has connections with General Al-Barhan's companies as well as with Hamidati's companies, just of a different nature," she says.