Witnesses said fighting resumed after the ceasefire expired at 6 a.m. local time north of Omdurman, one of three adjacent cities that, along with Khartoum and Bahri, make up the capital around the confluence of the Nile River.
Smoke rises above buildings during clashes between paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and Sudanese troops. Photo: Reuters
Residents reported gunfire in the Sharq el-Nil area on the eastern outskirts of the capital and around a bridge connecting Omdurman and Bahri. Explosions and clashes were also reported in Khartoum.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) broke out on 15 April amid tensions over an internationally backed plan for a transition to civilian rule.
The conflict has displaced more than 1.9 million people, creating a dire humanitarian crisis that threatens to spread. Fighting is concentrated in the capital Khartoum, much of which has become a war zone of looting and clashes.
Unrest has also flared elsewhere, including the western region of Darfur, which saw conflict peak in the early 2000s.
Residents and activists have reported worsening conditions in recent days in El Geneina, near the border with Chad, and a new wave of attacks by nomadic Arab tribesmen with ties to RSF. The city has been largely cut off from the phone network for several weeks.
Another town affected is El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state and on a major route to Darfur. Residents say they are effectively under siege due to the conflict, with food and medicine supplies cut off.
The vast Kordofan region is an important agricultural area and a source of livestock, oilseeds and gum arabic. "The situation is very difficult. It is dangerous to move from one place to another," said Mohamed Salman, a resident of North Kordofan.
RSF says it is trying to combat looting and has denied responsibility for the violence in Darfur. About 400,000 people have fled their homes to neighbouring countries, about half of them heading north to Egypt.
Mai Van (according to Reuters)
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