KHARTOUM: Explosions and gunfire resounded in Sudan’s capital on Thursday as fighting between the forces of two rival generals showed no signs of abating ahead of festivities marking the end of Ramadhan.
Over 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted on Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Some of the fiercest battles have taken place in the capital Khartoum, a city home to five million people, most of whom have been cloistered in their homes without electricity, food and water.
“We were awoken today at around 4:30 am to the roaring sound of fighter jets and air strikes,” said Nazek Abdalla, a 38-year-old in southern Khartoum. “We locked our doors and windows hoping no stray bullets would hit our building.”
The fighting entered a sixth day hours after another truce unravelled, with the crackle of gunfire heard and columns of thick black smoke seen rising from buildings around Khartoum International Airport and the army headquarters in the capital.
The RSF, a powerful force formed from members of the Janjaweed militia that led years of extreme violence in Darfur, had said its forces would “fully commit to a complete ceasefire” from Wednesday evening for 24 hours, as did the army.
But witnesses said gunfire did not stop in Khartoum, as another ceasefire was breached within minutes of its supposed start for the second time in as many days.
Beyond Khartoum, witnesses reported loud explosions in the city of Obeid, in central state of North Kordofan.
“It reeks of death in some parts of town,” said a witness who was leaving a hotspot in central Khartoum.
Ahmed al Mandhari of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that “almost 330 people have died and almost 3,200 more” had been wounded in Khartoum, the western Darfur region and other states.
Sudanese medics have warned of a catastrophic healthcare situation, especially in Khartoum where many hospitals were apparently caught in the crossfire.
As many as 70 per cent of the hospitals in Khartoum and neighbouring states have been rendered “out of service” due to fighting, the doctors’ union said.
The union has warned the death toll was likely to be far higher, with many wounded unable to reach hospitals.
Many countries have started to make plans to evacuate thousands of foreigners from the north African country, but their efforts have been put on hold by the ongoing violence.
— AFP
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