Sudan's conflict enters third month

KHARTOUM - Sudan's devastating war raged into a third month as a governor's killing marked a new escalation in the western region of Darfur.

Since April 15, the regular army headed by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commanded by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo have been locked in combat that has destroyed entire neighbourhoods of the capital Khartoum.

The fighting quickly spread to the provinces, particularly Darfur, and has killed at least 1,800 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project's latest figures from last month.

Burhan accused the RSF of killing the governor of West Darfur state, Khamis Abdullah Abakar, in a "treacherous attack" on Wednesday.

Abakar was captured and later killed after he made remarks critical of the paramilitaries in a telephone interview with a Saudi TV channel.

The Darfur Lawyers Association condemned his "assassination" as an act of "barbarism, brutality and cruelty".

Nationwide, Sudan's war has driven around 2.2 million people from their homes, according to the International Organization for Migration. 

Of these, more than 528,000 have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, said the UN agency.

US and Saudi mediation efforts are at a standstill after the collapse of multiple ceasefires in the face of flagrant violations by both sides.

A record 25 million people -- more than half the population -- are in need of aid, according to the UN, which says it has received only a fraction of needed funding.