Sudan deaths mount as intense fighting enters sixth day

Explosions and gunfire resounded in Sudan's capital on Thursday as fighting between the forces of two rival generals showed no signs of abating ahead of festivities marking the end of holy month of Ramadan.

Over 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted on Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah Al Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Some of the fiercest battles have taken place in the capital Khartoum, a city home to five million people, most of whom have been cloistered in their homes without electricity, food and water.

"We were awoken... to the roaring sound of fighter jets and air strikes," said Nazek Abdalla, a 38-year-old in southern Khartoum. "We locked our doors and windows, hoping no stray bullets would hit our building."

The fighting entered a sixth day hours after another truce unravelled, with the crackle of gunfire heard and columns of thick black smoke seen rising from buildings around Khartoum International Airport and the army headquarters in the capital.

The RSF had said its forces would "fully commit to a complete ceasefire" from Wednesday evening for 24 hours, as did the army.

But witnesses said gunfire did not stop in Khartoum, as another ceasefire was breached within minutes of its supposed start for the second time in as many days.

"The shelling hasn't stopped in the areas of conflict in Khartoum," said Tagreed Abdin, a Sudanese architect residing in the capital.

While many sheltered at home, others were venturing out and risking it "to protect themselves and their families to find safety in either other parts of Khartoum or other parts of Sudan", she added.

Beyond Khartoum, witnesses reported loud explosions in the city of Obeid, in central state of North Kordofan.

"It reeks of death in some parts of town," said a witness who was leaving a hotspot in central Khartoum.

Ahmed Al Mandhari of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that "almost 330 people have died and almost 3,200 more" had been wounded in Khartoum, the western Darfur region and other states.

The fighting has taken a heavy toll on civilians across Sudan.

"We wish the fighting would stop during Eid festivities" which is to begin on Friday marking the end of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting, said Abdalla, the resident of southern Khartoum.

"We know it will not happen though," he added.

Burhan and Daglo's bitter dispute centred around the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army — a key condition for a final deal aimed at restoring Sudan's democratic transition.

Around the capital and elsewhere, RSF fighters atop armoured vehicles and pickup trucks mounted with machineguns have taken over the streets.

Many have put up checkpoints to search cars carrying civilians trying to escape Khartoum's worst battle zones to safer areas in the capital and beyond.