SUDAN: As the power tussle entered sixth week, airstrikes pounded capital Khartoum overnight and on Saturday morning.
Sources reported strikes in Omdurman and northern Bahri, the two cities that lie across the Nile from Khartoum, forming Sudan’s “triple capital.”.
Fighting flared up in Darfur region, in the cities of Nyala and Zalenjei in the recent days. In a statement released on Friday evening both the sides blamed each other for the battle. Countries largest city, Nyala has been relatively calm due to a locally-brokered truce.
The fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has led to a collapse in law and order with looting that both sides blame the other for. Stocks of food, cash, and essentials are rapidly dwindling.
The conflict, which began on April 15, has displaced almost 1.1 million people internally and into neighboring countries. Some 705 people have been killed and at least 5,287 injured, according to the World Health Organization.
The war broke out in Khartoum after disputes over plans for the RSF to be integrated into the army and over the future chain of command under an internationally backed deal to shift Sudan toward democracy following decades of conflict-ridden autocracy.