Iran Press/ Africa: A new ceasefire attempt between Sudanese troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum has so far been unsuccessful, heightening concerns over diminishing food provisions and a breakdown of essential medical services.
The 24-hour ceasefire – lobbied for by countries trying to evacuate their citizens after days of conflict – was supposed to come into effect at 6 pm local time (16:00 GMT). However, eyewitnesses in Khartoum said fighting continued on Wednesday.
“We can still hear shelling in the vicinity of the presidential palace and the general command of the military,” Al Jazeera correspondent Hiba Morgan said.
“The ceasefire is not unconditional, with both sides saying they will abide by it only if they are not fired at by the other party,” she added.
Earlier in the day, continuous bombardments could be heard in central Khartoum around the compound housing the army headquarters – where Sudan’s military ruler, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, had said he was based earlier in the week. It was not clear if he was still there.
“The armed forces are responding to a new attack in the vicinity of the General Command,” an army statement said.
There was another heavy exchange of gunfire in the Jabra neighborhood of west Khartoum, where homes belonging to paramilitary leader General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, and his family are located, Reuters news agency reported.
Hemedti’s location has not been revealed since the fighting began on Saturday.
Blasts also rang out from the main airport, which shut down after the conflict burst out of a power struggle between al-Burhan and Hemedti over a plan to integrate Hemedti’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) into the regular military.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky and the streets of the capital, one of Africa’s largest cities with some 5.5 million people, were largely empty.
Huddled in their homes, residents struggled with power cuts and worried about how long food supplies would last.
“Today we were starting to run out of some essentials,” said architect Hadeel Mohamed, concerned for the safety of her brother who had gone to look for food.
Martin Griffiths, the United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said the fighting has “totally shut down” the world body’s work in the country.
“People aren’t moving, supplies have been looted and we don’t know what stocks are left,” Griffiths told Al Jazeera.
“The focus has to be relentlessly and with anger on the fact that people have been forced into this lockdown across the country, during the fasting month of Ramadan, close to Eid and in 40-degree temperatures,” he said.
At least 270 people have died and 2,600 have been injured, Sudan’s health ministry estimates. Nine hospitals have been hit by artillery and 16 had to be evacuated, the Sudanese Doctors’ Union said, with none operating fully inside the capital.
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Fighting breaks out in Sudan hours after cease-fire was to begin
