Dubai: As fighting that has trapped civilians in a humanitarian crisis and uprooted more than a million people entered its sixth week, airstrikes hit the outskirts of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
Law and order have been destroyed as a result of the fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which both sides blame on the other. Food, cash, and basic supplies are running out quickly.
Eyewitnesses in southern Omdurman and northern Bahri, the two cities that make up Sudan's "triple capital" and are located on opposite sides of the Nile from Khartoum, reported airstrikes. The eyewitnesses in Omdurman reported that some of the strikes occurred close to the national broadcaster.
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Eyewitnesses in Khartoum reported that although there were sporadic gunshots heard, the situation was largely calm.
Since the conflict's start on April 15, nearly 1.1 million people have been internally and internationally displaced. The World Health Organisation reports that at least 5,287 people have been hurt and 705 people have died.
The United States and Saudi Arabia sponsored talks in Jeddah, but they were unsuccessful, and both sides have accused the other of breaking numerous cease-fire agreements.
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Sanaa Hassan, 33, a resident of Omdurman's Al-Salha neighbourhood, told Reuters by phone that "we faced heavy artillery fire early this morning, the whole house was shaking."
"Everyone was hiding under their beds; it was terrifying. The situation is a nightmare, she declared. The RSF is embedded in residential areas and is targeted by regular armed forces airstrikes almost constantly.
Recent days have seen a resurgence of ground combat in the Darfur region, specifically in the cities of Nyala and Zalenjei.
In statements released late on Friday, both sides held each other responsible for igniting the fighting in Nyala, one of the country's largest cities, which had been relatively calm for weeks thanks to a locally mediated truce.
On Saturday morning, a local activist reported sporadic gunfights close to the city's main market and army headquarters. Activists claim that nearly 30 people have perished in the previous two days of fighting.
After disagreements over plans for the RSF to be incorporated into the army and the future chain of command under an internationally backed deal to transition Sudan towards democracy after decades of conflict-ridden autocracy, war broke out in Khartoum.
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Late on Friday, the US Agency for International Development announced that it would be donating more than $100 million in food and medical aid to the Sudan and other nations that were taking in fleeing Sudanese.
