A ceasefire between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces began on May 22 and expired on Saturday evening.
The ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States led to a slight calm in the fighting and allowed the arrival of limited humanitarian aid, but it was marred, like other declarations previous ceasefires, several violations.
The collapse of the armistice and the return of the fighting
Talks to extend it collapsed on Friday, according to Reuters.
The bloody power struggle erupted in Sudan on April 15 and sparked a major humanitarian crisis, in which more than 1.2 million people were internally displaced and 400,000 fled to neighboring countries. .
It also threatens to destabilize the entire region.
Live images on Sunday showed columns of black smoke rising over the capital.
“In the south of Khartoum, we live in terror of heavy shelling, the noise of anti-aircraft guns and power cuts. We are in real hell,” said Sarah Hassan, 34, by telephone.
Fighting was reported in several other areas, including central and southern Khartoum and Bahri.
Outside the capital, fighting has erupted in the western Darfur region, which is already suffering from the scourge of protracted conflict and severe humanitarian crises.
Witnesses said heavy fighting on Friday and Saturday wreaked havoc in Kutum, a trading center and one of the main towns in North Darfur.
The Darfur Lawyers Association for Human Rights said at least 40 people had been killed and dozens injured, some of them residents of Kassab camp, which is home to people displaced by earlier unrest .
The army denied that the Rapid Support Forces, which emerged from within the Darfur militias, had taken control of the city.
Witnesses said a military plane crashed in Omdurman, one of three cities that make up the greater metropolitan area.
There has been no comment so far from the military, which is using warplanes to target Rapid Support Forces deployed in the capital.
Withdraw from the museum
Sudanese antiquities authorities said RSF fighters withdrew from the National Museum in central Khartoum.
Yesterday, Saturday, paramilitary forces released a video clip from inside the museum, which includes mummies and other valuable artifacts, denying causing any damage to property.
The hostilities have led to widespread looting and destruction in the capital, the collapse of health services, the interruption of electricity and water, and the lack of available food.
The arrival of the rain
The past few days have seen the first rains of the year, marking the start of a season that will last until around October, causing flooding and increasing the risk of waterborne diseases.
The rains could complicate relief efforts already plagued by bureaucratic delays and logistical challenges.
Saudi Arabia and the United States say they are in daily contact with army and Rapid Support Forces delegations, which remain in Jeddah despite the suspension of ceasefire extension talks last week.
The two countries said in a statement that the consultations are focusing on ways to facilitate humanitarian assistance and reach an agreement on steps the two sides should take in the short term before resuming talks in Jeddah.
Rapid Support Forces Commander Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said in a Facebook post he referred to, during a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, ” the overall situation in Sudan in light of US-Saudi mediation efforts.”
Hamidti’s whereabouts are unknown, but he appeared earlier in a video clip with his forces in central Khartoum.
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