KHARTOUM: On the second day of Eid, the struggle for power in Sudan intensified as the temporary ceasefire between the warring factions of Army Chief Abdel Fattah-Al-Burhan and his opponent Rapid Support Forces (RSF) chief Mohamed Hamdan Daglo broke soon after its announcement.
The conflict has so far claimed the lives of 413 people, injured thousands, and left many confined to their homes without basic necessities like electricity, communication, and water.
The huge gunfire resumed on Saturday morning after overnight explosions were heard, according to the AFP. The clashes began on April 15 between paramilitary RSF forces under the command of Daglo and Sudan’s army loyal to Burhan, with both sides accusing each other of attacking first.
Previously, the two factions had been allied in staging a coup against President Omar al-Bashir, ending his 28-year rule in 2019. In an announcement on Friday, the Sudanese army said it had agreed to a truce for three days for the Eid-ul-Fitr holiday at the conclusion of the Holy month of Ramadan.
A day earlier, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had also called for a truce citing the end of the holy month.
Intense fighting in Sudan
However, both the RSF and the army are locked in an inexorable competition of strength, with neither side gaining the upper hand. Millions of people in the capital Khartoum are confined to their homes in hot weather without basic necessities, with some only securing basic food supplies while others flee the city.
The country is engulfed in violence, with tanks roaming around the streets and military planes conducting strikes.
South Korea, the United States, and Japan are planning to evacuate their citizens from the conflict-stricken Sudan, with plans for neighboring countries underway. The situation remains too risky for an evacuation of embassy personnel, according to the US State Department.
The conflict could potentially throw millions into hunger, warns the World Food Programme, where already 15 million people are in dire need of aid. The country could also spread regional disorder by plunging into a full-blown civil war, experts fear.
