In Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, fighting has intensified, shattering the most recent ceasefire meant to enable people to flee to safety.
Sunday, the army announced that it was assaulting the city from all sides with air strikes and heavy artillery in an effort to eliminate its paramilitary adversaries.
The latest ceasefire was scheduled to expire late Sunday. There are still millions of people stranded in the capital, where food is running out.
During the pandemonium, foreign nations have been evacuating their nationals.
Since fighting broke out between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on April 15, over 500 people have reportedly been slain. However, the number of fatalities and injuries may be much greater.
Army commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, are vying for authority and are at odds over plans to incorporate the RSF into the army.
Following intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the United Nations, an agreement to extend a tenuous ceasefire was reached Thursday night. The 72-hour extension, however, did not hold.
In Khartoum, heavy combat had resumed by Saturday evening. The army stated that it had conducted operations against RSF forces north of the city’s central business district.
According to witnesses cited by Reuters, army drones targeted RSF positions near a key oil refinery.
“Once again, we awoke to the sound of fighter jets and anti-aircraft weapons firing in our neighbourhood,” a local resident told AFP on Sunday.
The army will find it difficult to expel the RSF from Khartoum, according to BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams, who is monitoring events from Nairobi, Kenya.
Our correspondent notes that despite the army’s superior armament, the RSF are more mobile and suited to urban warfare.
The British government concluded its evacuation operation on Saturday. According to the Foreign Office, the last flight departed Khartoum at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT), with a total of nearly 1,900 passengers.
A convoy organised by the United States has arrived at Port Sudan to evacuate additional US citizens by ship to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It was reported that hundreds of Americans, in addition to the diplomats evacuated by air a week prior, had already fled the country.
Also on Saturday, former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok warned that the conflict could escalate to a level comparable to that of Syria and Libya. These conflicts have resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and destabilised the surrounding regions.
He stated in Nairobi, “I believe it will be a nightmare for the world.” This conflict is not between a large army and a tiny rebellion. It is comparable to two armies.”
People in Port Sudan are frantic to board ships, some of which are bound for Saudi Arabia and Yemen, creating chaotic scenes.
