The clashes between Sudan's military and the para-military force, Rapid Support Forces (RSF), continued on day three too, with the death toll crossing 100. The fighting has extended to the eastern city of Port Sudan and the western Darfur region, said reports.
Residents in the capital of Khartoum claim hearing mortars and artillery in the early hours of the morning. Videos doing rounds on social media too showed the General Command building in flames. There are also reports of warplanes bombing sites east of the command. "We saw explosions and smoke rising from Obaid Khatim Street, and immediately after that, anti-aircraft artillery fired massively towards the planes,” one eyewitness told CNN.
At least 41 civilians were killed on Sunday, bringing the two-day death toll to 97, the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate said Monday.
The clashes are the result of the power struggle between military chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the commander of the armed forces, and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the RSF. The two were allies during the 2021 coup that deposed the civilian administration but the relationship turned sour over the move to induct the RSF into the army.
Civilians trapped
The residents of the cities where fighting continues said they were "trapped inside our own homes with little to no protection at all."
"All we can hear is continuous blast after blast. What exactly is happening and where we don’t know, but it feels like it’s directly over our heads," a resident of Khartoum wrote on Twitter.
The hospitals are also suffering shortages of specialised medical personnel, including anesthesiologists. "Water and power cuts are affecting the functionality of health facilities, and shortages of fuel for hospital generators are also being reported," the WHO said on Sunday.
"They are shooting against each other in the streets," prominent rights advocate Tahani Abass who lives near the military headquarters told AP. "It's an all-out war in residential areas.
She added that her family spent the night huddling on the ground floor of their home. "No one was able to sleep and the kids were crying and screaming with every explosion," she said.
Mediation
Three African Presidents have been deputed by an East African regional grouping to initiate mediation in Sudan, reported BBC.
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (Igad) has agreed to send the leaders of Kenya, South Sudan and Djibouti to the capital Khartoum to seek immediate cessation of hostilities. Kenya's President William Ruto asked Igad leaders to take a firm position to restore peace in Khartoum.
However, it is unclear how they will arrive in the country since the international airport has been closed.
