Heavy clashes in Sudan's capital as truce set to expire

Sudan's Army and the paramilitary RSF have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds and driving nearly 1.4 million people from their homes

People gather to collect water in Khartoum, Sudan, on May 28. The Sudanese Army and a rival paramilitary force, battling for control of Sudan since mid-April, had agreed last week to the weeklong truce, brokered by the U.S. and the Saudis. However, the cease-fire, like others before it, did not stop the fighting in the capital of Khartoum and elsewhere in the country. | Photo Credit: AP

Heavy and sustained clashes could be heard on May 29 in parts of Sudan's capital, residents said, hours before the expiry of a shaky ceasefire deal that had brought some respite from a six-week-old conflict but little humanitarian access.

Fighting continued from May 28 into May 29 in the south and west of Omdurman, one of three adjoining cities that make up Sudan's greater capital. Across the River Nile in southern Khartoum residents also reported clashes late on May 28.

Sudan's Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been locked in a power struggle that erupted into conflict on April 15, killing hundreds and driving nearly 1.4 million people from their homes.

Both sides have said they are considering extending a deal for a week-long ceasefire brokered by Saudi Arabia and the United States that was designed to allow for the distribution of aid and is due to expire at 9.45 p.m. (19:45 GMT) local time on May 29.

Saudi Arabia and the United States said on May 28 that both the Army and the RSF had repeatedly violated the truce and had impeded the delivery of humanitarian access and restoration of essential services.