by ReutersFighting intensified in several neighborhoods of Khartoum on Sunday after a ceasefire deal expired, residents of Sudan’s capital said, and activists said a new outbreak of violence in northern Darfur state had killed at least 40 people. Took life
The ceasefire between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began on May 22 and ended on Saturday evening.
Brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States, it briefly calmed the fighting and allowed limited humanitarian access, but like the previous truce was repeatedly violated. Talks to extend the ceasefire broke down on Friday.
The deadly power struggle that erupted in Sudan on April 15 has triggered a major humanitarian crisis, with more than 1.2 million people displaced within the country and another 400,000 fleeing to neighboring states.
It also threatens to destabilize the entire region.
Live footage on Sunday showed black smoke rising over the capital.
“In southern Khartoum we live in terror of violent bombardment, the sound of anti-aircraft guns and power cuts,” resident Sarah Hassan, 34, said by phone. “We are in real hell.”
Other areas where fighting was reported were central and southern Khartoum and Bahri in the north, across the Blue Nile.
Beyond the capital, deadly fighting has also broken out in Darfur, in Sudan’s far west, which is already grappling with long-running unrest and huge humanitarian challenges.
Witnesses said heavy fighting on Friday and Saturday had brought chaos to North Darfur’s main towns and Kutum, a commercial hub.
The Darfur Bar Association, which monitors rights in the region, said at least 40 people, including residents of the Kasab camp, were killed and dozens more wounded.
The military denied claims that the RSF, which evolved from Darfur militias and has its power base in the region, had captured Kutum.
Witnesses said a military plane had crashed in Omdurman, one of three cities around the confluence of the Nile River that make up the Greater Capital Region.
There was no comment from the army, which has been using warplanes to target RSFs spread across the capital.
First rain
Separately, Sudanese antiquities officials said the RSF fighters had been withdrawn from the national museum in central Khartoum. On Saturday, RSF released a video filmed inside the grounds of the museum, which houses the ancient mummies and other priceless artefacts, denying they had damaged the collection.
The fighting in the capital has caused widespread damage and looting, a decline in health services, power and water cuts, and reduced food supplies.
The first rains of the year have fallen in recent days, marking the beginning of a rainy season that lasts until around October and brings floods and an increased risk of water-borne diseases.
The rains could complicate a relief effort already hampered by bureaucratic delays and logistical challenges. Aid workers have warned that bodies have been left in the streets and garbage has piled up.
Saudi Arabia and the United States said they were continuing to engage daily with delegations from the army and the RSF, which remained in Jeddah, although talks to extend the ceasefire were suspended last week.
“The focus of those discussions is on facilitating humanitarian assistance and on reaching agreement on near-term steps before the parties resume Jeddah talks,” the two countries said in a statement.
RSF leader Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said in a Facebook post that he spoke on the phone with the Saudi foreign minister to discuss the Jeddah mediation efforts. Hemedti’s whereabouts are unclear, although he had previously appeared in video footage fighting with his troops in central Khartoum.