Sudan fighting rages for second day despite UN-proposed ceasefire

Civilians in Sudan have been subjected to a second day of heavy fighting, waking up in the capital, Khartoum, on Sunday to the sound of gunfire and military jets over the city despite a four-hour UN-proposed humanitarian ceasefire between the two main factions of the ruling military regime.

It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust the veteran Islamist autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019 and was sparked by a disagreement over the integration of the RSF into the military as part of a transition towards civilian rule to end the political-economic crisis sparked by a military coup in 2021.

The US, China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UN security council, EU and African Union have appealed for a quick end to the hostilities that threaten to worsen instability in an already volatile wider region.

Monitors say 22 people have been killed in the city, with a further 17 killed in Al Fasher in northern Darfur state. Mona Hussien, a university lecturer, said she had never experienced such a thing in her life.

It is understood that in Al Fasher heavy fighting around the army headquarters quickly spread to the bases of the notorious operational forces of the intelligence agencies in the south-east of the city.

RSF members remained inside Khartoum international airport, besieged by the army which was holding back from striking them to avoid wreaking damage, according to witnesses.

The long-feared violent crisis between the two main factions of the ruling military regime threatens to destabilise not just Sudan but much of the region, as well as exacerbating a battle for influence that involves major Gulf powers, the US, EU and Russia.