KHARTOUM: Sudanese capital Khartoum was rocked by heavy fighting on Sunday, despite the latest ceasefire agreed between army forces and paramilitary forces.
The violence has entered its third week, killing at least 528 people and wounding around 4,600, with fears the real casualty toll is higher.
Millions of Sudanese are enduring shortages of water, food, medicines, and other basic supplies, with tens of thousands fleeing to neighboring countries.
Sudan’s former premier Abdalla Hamdok warned the conflict could escalate into one of the world’s worst civil wars, adding “it would be a nightmare for the world.”
The UN World Food Programme has also warned the unrest could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people already need aid to stave off famine.
Only 16 percent of hospitals are operational in Khartoum, with many facilities shelled in the fighting. The latest three-day ceasefire, mediated by the United States, Saudi Arabia, the African Union, and the United Nations, was agreed on Thursday, but has failed to halt the fighting.
Power struggle in Sudan
The power struggle between Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has triggered a mass exodus of foreign nationals and international staff.
Foreign nations have scrambled to evacuate their citizens by air, road, and sea since the fighting erupted on April 15. Saudi Arabia stated it had taken about 5,000 persons to safety on ships across the Red Sea. A US-organized road convoy arrived in Port Sudan on Saturday to join the exodus.
The UK Foreign Office said only under 1,900 Britons had been taken out on 21 flights, following large airlifts by France, Germany, and other nations.
In addition, fighting, looting, and lawlessness have raged in the Darfur region, with at least 96 people reported killed in El Geneina, West Darfur, according to the UN.
Darfur is still scarred by a fierce war that erupted in 2003 when former strongman Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia, leaving at least 300,000 dead and around 2.5 million displaced.
The warring sides have agreed to several truces, but none have taken hold, as chaos and lawlessness have gripped the capital city of five million and other regions.
The conflict could deepen further in the power struggle between the rival generals. The violence has also led to a risk of famine, and the UN has called for negotiations to end the bloodshed.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged support for an African-led initiative for peace in Sudan, saying, “there is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart.”
