A POWER struggle between Sudan’s army and a notorious paramilitary force has rocked the country, with 57 reported dead and nearly 200 injured.
Residents dodged gunfire in the capital, Khartoum, as rival forces battled over the presidential palace, state TV, and army headquarters.
Among the dead were three UN workers, who were shot after the two sides exchanged gunfire at a military base.
The clashes erupted after tensions over a proposed transition to civilian rule.
Both the army and its opponents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claimed they had control of the airport and other key sites in Khartoum, where fighting continued overnight.
Violence was also reported elsewhere in the country, including in cities in the Darfur region.
The army said jets were hitting RSF bases, and the country’s air force told people to remain in their homes on Saturday night while it conducted a full aerial survey of paramilitary activity.
Residents of Khartoum told the BBC of their panic and fear, with one describing bullets being fired at the house next door.
At least 27 people have been killed and nearly 200 were injured in the violence, a Sudanese doctors’ union said.
It said it did not know how many of the casualties were civilians. Earlier, the union said three civilians had been confirmed dead.
Three employees for the World Food Programme (WFP), a UN body that delivers food assistance to vulnerable communities, were killed after the RSF and armed forces exchanged fire at a military base in Kabkabiya, in the west of the country.
Two other staff members were seriously injured, and the RSF looted several WFP vehicles.
