Violent Explosions Rock Khartoum

Posted on April 10, 2007
Filed Under Sudan |

A few days ago, a huge explosion rocked Khartoum. There were clashing reports on what exactly happened. Now the story is more or less the same except for 2 details, the exact location of where the explosion occured and the cause. Mimz blogged about it:

A little over 24 hours ago a series of extremely boisterous explosions took place in one of the military sites availed for storing ammo, in the Burri area of the capital of Sudan. The explosions occurred in three enormous gunnery-loaded trucks.

So this blast happened a few meters away from the University of Khartoum, students had to evacuate campus and basically run for their lives as they witnessed the thick, heavy black smoke approaching and heard the disturbing loud sounds of explosion.

The remnants of the exploded weapons flew and were scattered all over the place, at unusually large radii from the site of explosion, landing at various destinations.

I actually saw the grey-black thick smoke from my window, and I live in Khartoum North, Bahri, which is a few kilometers away from Burri.

My friend, and neighbor, informed that he was stopped by the police on his way back from work and was directed to change his route, apparently one piece landed half a kilometer away from home.

However, the reason for yesterday’s explosions was diagnosed by the Sudanese government as, get this, “due to the increase in temperature”.

The reason obviously sounds pathetic. My immediate thoughts pointed me towards something else… “sinister” elements employing new strategies:

An investigation is under way.

There was a bomb attack on an oil depot to the south of Khartoum at the beginning of the month, which the authorities blamed on opposition elements.

It looks like I might be right after all. If true, this could signal the beginning of dark times ahead. Moreover, for the first time in ages, the fierce battles won’t be fought far far away in the South, east or the west in Darfur but right in the home turf of the NCP. Khartoum. I pray I’m wrong. I would hate to see Khartoum turn into another Somalia. I never thought that one day I would be saying this, but maybe the intensive training the Sudanese intelligence has been receiving from the Iranians will be put into good use. Let’s hope order and stability can be kept in the capital.

Comments

7 Responses to “Violent Explosions Rock Khartoum”

  1. Roman Kalik on April 10th, 2007 11:04 pm

    Chaos spreads like fire, and those who play with it are often burned by it. It’s everyone else in the house who ends up being burned along with them who I worry for.

    These are worrisome developments, but sadly inevitable with your current administration. :-(

  2. Finnpundit on April 11th, 2007 4:14 am

    Drima, can you trace who took the photo? Al Jazeera seems to carry it, but it looks kind of generic.

    If it was an explosion of an ammo dump, there would be one flash of fire, and lots of smoke and debris, certainly not enough time for an innocent by-stander to snap a picture.

    On the other hand, if there was a lot a flammable materials around to sustain a large fire for a long time, this picture makes more sense, which suggests that this might just be an ordinary fire, without any political overtones. In any case, the public is not served by the kind of journalism that leaves catastrophic events so openly to speculation.

    In other words, main stream news sources on this event are quite pathetic in their reliability, as they cannot determine early on as to what is really going on. All the more reason not to trust Main Stream Media.

    Perhaps all their journalists are “overextended” in covering Palestine and Iraq.

  3. Drima on April 11th, 2007 6:17 am

    I can’t really trace the picture. Many news reports carried it. Even I thought to myself that it looks rather odd but I used it thinking, “what the hell do I know about explosions or fire?” I think it was taken after the explosion occurred since a big fire raged afterwards.

    As for what really happened exactly, I don’t really know. In fact even my relatives in Khartoum don’t exactly know. There were too many conflicting reports the next day. That’s why I didn’t blog about it until now. I didn’t know what to believe. What certainly did happen, is that an army truck carrying lots of ammo or rockets exploded in the middle of Khartoum. Not the outskirts.

    The exact location, whether people died or not and the cause are unknown, too much conflicting information. However I find the timing of this strange. It maybe a coincidence or it maybe exactly what it is, a new strategy by the rebels. They’ve been saying for a while that they’re going to bring the battle to Khartoum. An army truck exploding in the middle of Khartoum on its own or due to “high summer temperatures” is a first.

  4. precious on April 11th, 2007 10:24 pm

    ” I would hate to see Khartoum turn into another Somalia.”

    Seems like this is how its gona end up..

    I used to be one of those people calling for a better sudan, encouraging the youth to help build it and bring out the best of it.. to stand tall for it.. Care and participate in politics.. to give.. give and give more without asking for anything back..

    But now, Sorry to say this.. but I GIVE UP…

    I can CARE no more…

  5. Roman Kalik on April 12th, 2007 9:43 pm

    Caring is very difficult in such cases. It means putting your willpower against impossible odds, and being disappointed time and time again…

    But surely there are times, Precious, when such caring is rewarding? Perhaps these events are few, very few even, but are they not there nontheless?

    And if none care, who will be left to rebuild if the worst occurs? The vultures, that’s who. The very vultures who got you into this mess…

    That’s how their kind survives. By making people apatheic.

  6. Precious on April 14th, 2007 11:11 am

    Its true at times like this I might get alittle dissapointed and depressed.. but its only for awhile, then I get my energy and Enthusiasm back again..

    And your words Roman Kalik healed that small wound inside my heart and now I can go back to where I been and what I used to do.. I have a dream.. and I wll hold on to that dream..

  7. Roman Kalik on April 14th, 2007 6:23 pm

    Keep that dream going, Precious. One day it won’t be just a dream. :-)

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