The fighting between Sudan’s army and its Paramilitary force is continued despite the announcement of a 72-hour ceasefire extension on Friday.
The latest ceasefire, brokered by foreign powers, is supposed to last until Sunday at midnight, a foreign media outlet reported on Saturday.
Sudan is experiencing a third week of conflict, with the sounds of air strikes, anti-aircraft weaponry, and artillery continuing to resonate across Khartoum. On Saturday, dark smoke could be seen rising from parts of the city, signaling an escalation in the conflict.
The situation remains highly volatile, with reports of casualties and the displacement of thousands of civilians.
Hundreds have been killed and tens of thousands have fled for their lives in a power struggle between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that erupted into violence on April 15, derailing an internationally-backed transition toward democratic elections.
The fighting has also reawakened a two-decade-old conflict in the western Darfur region where scores have died this week.
The army has been deploying jets or drones on RSF forces in neighbourhoods across the capital. Many residents are pinned down by urban warfare with scant food, fuel, water and power.
At least 512 people have been killed and close to 4,200 wounded, according to the United Nations, which believes the real toll is much higher.
More than 75,000 people were internally displaced within Sudan just in the first week of the fighting, according to the United Nations. Only 16pc of hospitals were operating as normal in the capital.
The RSF accused the army of violating it with air strikes on its bases in Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister city at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers, and Mount Awliya.
The army blamed the RSF for violations.
The fighting has raised concerns about the stability of the region and the impact on Sudan’s fragile democracy, which is still grappling with the aftermath of the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019.
The violence has sent tens of thousands of refugees across Sudan’s borders and threatens to stir instability across a volatile swathe of Africa between the Sahel and the Red Sea.
Foreign governments have evacuated diplomats and citizens to safety over the past week, including with airlifts. Britain said its evacuations would end on Saturday as demand for spots on planes had declined.
The US said several hundred Americans had departed Sudan by land, sea or air. A convoy of buses carrying 300 Americans left Khartoum late on Friday on a 525-mile (850-km) trip to the Red Sea in the first US-organised evacuation effort for citizens, the New York Times reported.
In Darfur, at least 96 people had died since Monday in inter-communal violence rekindled by the army-RSF conflict, UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said.
Meanwhile, a third batch of 97 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan arrived at Jinnah International Airport from Jeddah via a C-130 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force.
“The government of Pakistan will continue to facilitate the safe return of stranded Pakistanis,” the Foreign Office said.
Third batch of 97 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan has arrived at JIA, Karachi via Jeddah aboard PAF aircraft C-130. Government of Pakistan will continue to facilitate the safe return of stranded Pakistanis. pic.twitter.com/leTuhqq30Q
— Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) April 29, 2023
