KHARTOUM: Air strikes, artillery and gunfire rocked several areas of Sudan’s capital on Monday as fighting between warring factions intensified for a second day, trapping civilians in a worsening humanitarian crisis.
The war between the country’s army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has raged for almost two months, forcing almost 2 million to flee and wrecking the economy, causing frequent electricity and water outages.
Talks in Jeddah have failed to permanently end fighting and clashes intensified as soon as a ceasefire ended on Sunday.
While the RSF has spread out across most of the capital, controlling main streets and setting up camp inside some homes, the army has the advantage of air and artillery weaponry.
Residents of eastern Khartoum reported being hit by air strikes, while in southern Khartoum as well as northern Omdurman reported being hit by artillery fighting. Eyewitnesses reported clashes in central Khartoum as well.
“Since yesterday, the war has come back and there’s strikes from all direction,” said Awatif Sidahmed, 43, living in Sharq el Nil across the Nile from Khartoum.
“Our neighbourhood is a war zone so leaving is difficult and staying home is difficult. We don’t know what to do.”
Those who stay also struggle with dwindling funds as the government has stopped paying salaries and pensions.
More than 200,000 of the 1.9 million Sudanese who have managed to flee their homes have gone to Egypt, which this week imposed a visa requirement for children, women and the elderly who had previously been exempt.
Hundreds of Sudanese were turned back at Cairo airport and sent back on return flights, according to Cairo airport sources, after a similar exemption for those with residencies in western and Gulf states was removed.
— Reuters
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