A power struggle between Sudan’s army and notorious paramilitaries has rocked the country, with more than 50 civilians reported dead.
Residents in the capital Khartoum dodged gunfire as rival forces battled over the presidential palace, state TV and army headquarters.
A doctors’ organization said that 25 people, including 17 civilians, have died in the city.
The clashes followed tensions over the proposed transfer of civilian rule.
Both the army and its opponents, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), claimed to be in control of Khartoum’s airport and other key locations, where fighting continued overnight.
On Sunday morning, heavy artillery was heard in Omdurman, adjacent to Khartoum and nearby Bahri. Eyewitnesses also reported firing in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan.
The military said jets were targeting RSF bases, and the country’s air force asked people to stay indoors on Saturday night while it conducted a thorough aerial survey of paramilitary activity.
Residents of Khartoum told JEE News of their panic and fear, with one saying shots had been fired at a house next door.
A committee of Sudanese doctors said at least 56 civilians had been killed in cities and towns across the country, adding that dozens of military personnel were killed, some of whom were treated in hospitals.
In all, at least 595 people were injured, it said.
Three employees of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP), which provides food aid to vulnerable communities, were killed after an exchange of fire between the RSF and the armed forces at a military base in Kabakabiya, in the west of the country.
Generals have been running Sudan since a military coup in October 2021.
The fighting is between military units loyal to de facto leader General Abdul Fattah al-Barhan and the RSF led by Sudan’s deputy leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hamdati.
Hamdati said his troops would continue to fight until all military bases were captured.
In response, the Sudanese armed forces rejected negotiations “until the dissolution of the paramilitary RSF”.
‘So much panic and fear’
In Khartoum, people were filmed running and taking cover after black smoke billowed over the city.
A Reuters journalist said there were armored vehicles on the streets, while video showed a civilian plane being set on fire at Khartoum’s airport. Saudi Airline Saudia said that one of its Airbuses came under fire.
Several airlines have suspended flights to Khartoum and neighboring Chad has closed its border with Sudan.
“We have no electricity,” a British-Sudanese doctor visiting relatives in Khartoum told JEE News. “It’s hot. We can’t afford to open the windows, the noise is deafening.”
Another witness, speaking to JEE News through his sister based in Kenya, said: “The shooting is still going on and people are staying indoors – there is a lot of panic.”
Residents did not expect clashes, he said, and many people were stuck in transit, bridges and roads were closed and many schools were on lockdown.
Dua Tariq was speaking to JEE News when a military plane flew over her building. “They are throwing ammunition on the roof of the next house and we are taking shelter now,” he said.
