Thousands flee Sudan capital as clashes rage despite truce

KHARTOUM - Thousands of residents fled Sudan's capital as fighting between the army and paramilitaries, which has killed around 200 people, raged for a fifth day after a 24-hour truce collapsed.

The violence erupted on Saturday between the forces of two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup: army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Loud explosions and heavy gunfire were heard in the capital on Wednesday morning, as witnesses said plumes of thick black smoke emanated from buildings around the army headquarters in central Khartoum.

RSF fighters atop armoured vehicles and pick-up trucks laden with heavy weapons and ammunition swarmed the streets, as the army's fighter jets roared overhead and fired on RSF targets, the witnesses said.

Civilians huddled in their homes were becoming increasingly desperate, with dwindling food supplies, power outages, and a lack of running water.

- Streets littered with bodies -

Their hopes of being evacuated were dashed on Tuesday when a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire collapsed within minutes of its proposed start.

On Wednesday morning, thousands of people took matters into their own hands and began leaving their homes in Khartoum, some in cars and others on foot, including women and children.

They said the streets were littered with dead bodies, the stench of which filled the air.

After the truce collapsed, the army accused the "rebel militia" of failing to commit to it and of continuing "skirmishes around the army headquarters and the airport".

The RSF in turn accused the army of "committing violations" and breaching the ceasefire by launching "sporadic attacks" on its forces and bases around the capital.

The fighting has left at least 185 people dead and more than 1,800 injured, according to the United Nations.

But the real figure is thought to be far higher with many wounded unable to reach hospitals, which are themselves being shelled, according to the official doctors' union.