Renewed clashes erupt between Sudan’s rival factions
Sudan has been mired by clashes between army, paramilitary RSF since mid-April
KHARTOUM, Sudan
Clashes resumed on Monday between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group to the west and north of the capital Khartoum.
Violent clashes broke out in the cities of Omdurman and Bahri, where the army and the RSF used heavy and light weapons, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.
Witnesses said the sounds of artillery shelling and military aircraft were also heard.
There were no further details on the targeted sites or casualties.
A seven-day cease-fire between the two sides brokered by Saudi Arabia and the US expired last week. The warring sides decided to extend the agreement for five more days, but peace talks broke down when the Sudanese Armed Forces announced their withdrawal, claiming the RSF had failed to implement any of the terms of the agreement and continued to violate the cease-fire.
The decision came as fierce clashes erupted between the military and RSF in Khartoum and El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state.
The US on Thursday announced an initial wave of sanctions targeting actors in Sudan after talks between the Sudanese military and the rival paramilitary force collapsed.
The recent violence in Sudan has left at least 863 civilians dead and thousands wounded since April 15, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate said.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than one million people have been internally displaced by the conflict.
A disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over the paramilitary group’s integration into the armed forces, a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.
Sudan has been without a functioning government since October 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."
Sudan's transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.
*Writing by Ikram Kouachi
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