Heavy fighting erupts in Sudanese capital ahead of Eid

Khartoum: The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered into a fierce battle in the capital of Khartoum ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

According to witnesses, heavy artillery fire and gunshots were heard in parts of Khartoum late Tuesday after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had announced a two-day "unilateral ceasefire" the previous day, reports Xinhua news agency.

The armed conflict in Sudan has so far shown no sign of abating since it began on April 15, despite several ceasefire agreements reached intermittently between the warring sides over the past 10 weeks.

In addition to causing significant property damage and looting in Khartoum, where foreign diplomatic missions have also been targeted, the conflict has also caused turmoil in other parts of Sudan, particularly in the conflict-hit Darfur, a vast western region that borders Chad.

In a statement issued on June 24, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) called for immediate actions to stop the killing of civilians who were fleeing El Geneina, the capital city of West Darfur State.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate said that more than 1,000 people had been killed in El Geneina by armed militias.

Since the conflict began, the number of overall fatalities has increased to more than 3,000, while over 6,000 people have also been injured, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

About 2.5 million people have been displaced inside and outside of Sudan, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs last week.

IANS with superficial edits