EXPLOSIONS shook Sudan’s capital Tuesday evening despite one side’s claiming a ceasefire on the fourth day of fighting that has killed over 250.
A weeks-long power struggle erupted into battles Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since then, international calls have mounted for an end to hostilities that have spawned increasing lawlessness, death and damage.
RSF commander Daglo, commonly known as Hemeti, announced support for an internationally-brokered 24-hour “armistice”, which the army denied any knowledge of.
By 1600 GMT, the time of the supposed start to the ceasefire, gunfire could still be heard throughout the capital Khartoum, according to several witnesses, and it continued into the evening.
“As of now the fighting in Sudan, including Khartoum and various other locations, is continuing. No sign of real abatement of the fighting,” the spokesman for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
Daglo’s announcement came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he spoke with the two generals and “underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire”.
Foreign ministers of the G7, which includes the US, had also called on Tuesday for the warring parties to “end hostilities immediately”, as loud explosions were heard in Khartoum, where militiamen in turbans and fatigues roamed the streets.
Underscoring the chaos, Washington said one of its diplomatic convoys was fired upon, and the EU said its ambassador was attacked at home.
Aid groups have reported looting of medical and other supplies.
There are fears of regional spillover from the conflict that has included air strikes and artillery fire.
According to witnesses, pickup trucks carrying anti-aircraft guns — stationed in residential areas of Khartoum — were resupplied with ammunition Tuesday morning.
The windows of office and residential buildings in the city have been left shattered or riddled with bullets.
Terrified residents of the capital are spending the holiest final days of Ramadan sheltering as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake, and smoke from fires triggered by the fighting hangs in the air.
“Bombardments usually start around 4:00 am and they continue for a few hours, but today they haven’t stopped,” said Khartoum resident Dallia Mohamed Abdelmoniem.
“We haven’t slept in the past four days,” she said, adding her family had been staying indoors “trying to keep our sanity intact”.
Families waited on Tuesday, heavy suitcases in hand, for the few buses heading south from the capital, according to AFP reporters, as more people use rare lulls in the fighting to escape Khartoum.
But, as many have lost power and internet connections, residents are finding it increasingly difficult to get reliable information.