Fighting erupts in Sudan's capital as ceasefire expires

Fighting has been concentrated in the capital Khartoum, much of which has become a war zone. (Photo: AAP)

Residents have reported air strikes shortly after the end of a 24-hour ceasefire that brought a brief lull to eight weeks of combat between rival military factions. Heavy clashes and artillery fire have erupted across the capital of the Sudan, Khartoum, and residents have also reported artillery fire and artillery fire.

According to witnesses, the combat between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Sunday was the heaviest in weeks.

It included ground battles in the densely populated neighborhood of Haj Youssef in Bahri, one of three adjacent cities, along with Khartoum and Omdurman, that comprise the capital at the confluence of the Nile.

Saudi Arabia and the United States, who mediated the ceasefire during talks in Jeddah, stated that the truce had enabled the delivery of humanitarian aid and confidence-building measures.

"However, there were violations, and, following the expiration of the short-term ceasefire, the facilitators have been deeply disappointed by the immediate resumption of intense violence, which we strongly condemn," they said.

According to witnesses, immediately after the armistice expired at 6 a.m. local time, fighting and artillery fire resumed in the northern region of Omdurman.

In addition, they reported violence in the southern and central portions of Khartoum and in Shambat along the Nile in Bahri, up to the strategic Halfiya bridge connecting to Omdurman.

The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) went to war on April 15 over tensions related to a plan for a transition to civilian rule supported by the international community.

The conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and the displacement of more than 1.9 million, precipitating a major humanitarian crisis that threatens to spread throughout a volatile region.

Much of the capital has become a war zone rife with looting and conflicts due to the concentration of fighting there.

But unrest has also erupted in other areas, including the western region of Darfur, which has been plagued by conflict since the early 2000s.

Residents and activists have reported a recent deterioration in El Geneina, close to the border with Chad, and new surges of attacks by Arab nomad tribes affiliated with the RSF.

Human rights activists, lawyers, and physicians were among those slain, according to the Darfur Bar Association, which monitors the conflict in the region.

The city has been essentially cut off from telephone networks for several weeks.

Publish : 2023-06-12 10:25:00

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