Despite the truce, fighting erupts in Sudan as the former prime minister issues a "nightmare" warning.

 

As tens of thousands of people fled the bloody unrest and a former prime minister warned of the "nightmare" risk of a descent into a full-scale civil war, heavy fighting once more shook the capital of Sudan on Sunday.

In the middle of Khartoum, army forces and paramilitaries engaged in combat as deadly hostilities entered their third week despite the most recent truce, which was officially supposed to terminate at the end of Sunday.

"There has been very heavy fighting and loud gunfire every few minutes since early this morning on my street," a resident of southern Khartoum told AFP over the phone."

There have reportedly been clashes near the army headquarters in the centre of Khartoum, and the army has also conducted airstrikes in Omdurman, the capital's twin city over the Nile River.

Since the fighting turned the impoverished nation into a deadly chaos on April 15, foreign nations have hurried to evacuate thousands of their citizens by air, road, and sea.

Thousands of Sudanese have fled to neighbouring countries, and more are on their way, as a result of the debilitating shortages of water, food, and other essentials.

While the UN reported that tens of thousands had fled to the Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic, satellite images showed extensive bus convoys at the Egyptian border.

The conflict between Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the army, and Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), might worsen.

Abdalla Hamdok, a former prime minister of Sudan, issued a dire warning that if the fighting didn't end soon, it may turn into one of the bloodiest civil wars in history.

"God forbid that Sudan might ever enter a true civil war... Libya, Syria, and Yemen will each have a limited role." It would be "a nightmare for the world," in my opinion.

According to numbers released by the health ministry on Saturday, there have been at least 528 fatalities and 4,600 injuries as a result of the violence.

Risk of famine.

According to the ministry, 12 out of Sudan's 18 states, including the Darfur area, have been impacted by the war.

The violence, according to the UN World Food Programme, could cause millions more people to go hungry in a nation where 15 million people already depend on help to avoid famine.

The opposing generals have been taking shots at one another in the media as the fighting have continued regardless.

Burhan once more described the RSF as a militia with the intention of "destroying Sudan," while Daglo referred to the army chief as "a traitor."

Omar al-Bashir, an Islamist-backed strongman who controlled Sudan for decades, was overthrown by the military in 2019 following extensive pro-democracy demonstrations.

Burhan and Daglo were given authority in the coup, and they took complete control in a further coup in 2021 before turning on one another three weeks ago.

Thousands of people escaped.

Negotiations to put a stop to the killing have been encouraged by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"There is no right to go on fighting for power when the country is falling apart," he said on Saturday, according to Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television.

I implore you to do all in your power to assist an African initiative for the peace of Sudan.

On Twitter, Guterres said that "the UN is stepping up efforts to support people looking for safety in neighbouring countries."

The battle has displaced some 75,000 people, according to the UN. According to the report, at least 20,000 people have fled to South Sudan, Chad, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.

A significant outflow of foreigners and international personnel has also been brought on by the violence.

Saudi Arabia reported that it has transported about 4,880 individuals across the Red Sea to safety on ships.

According to the State Department, a vehicle convoy sponsored by the US landed in Port Sudan on Saturday to join the evacuation.

Just under 1,900 Britons, according to the UK Foreign Office, were transported on 21 planes, after similar large-scale airlifts by France, Germany, and other countries.

In the Darfur region, violence, looting, and lawlessness have raged.

El Geneina, a city in West Darfur state, was claimed to have had at least 96 fatalities, according to the UN.

According to Guterres, "What's happening in Darfur is terrible; the society is disintegrating, and we see tribes trying to arm themselves now."

Darfur is still scarred by the conflict that broke out in 2003 when then-President Bashir sent out the Janjaweed militia, which was primarily made up of Arab pastoralist tribesmen, against rebels from racial minorities.

According to UN statistics, the scorched-earth strategy killed at least 300,000 people and caused close to 2.5 million displaced persons.

The International Criminal Court accused Bashir of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. The RSF, which was formally founded in 2013, developed from the Janjaweed in the future.