Ongoing clashes in Sudan leave at least 270 dead | DW News

Fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Force (RSF) shows no sign of ending, after the failure of the latest ceasefire. Bodies are reported to be lining the streets of the capital and thousands of civilians are fleeing.  The airport is closed, and supplies of food, water and medicine are running out. At least 270 people have been killed since violence broke out on Saturday.

The violence erupted between forces loyal to the head of the Sudanese army — Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the country's de facto ruler — and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as Hemedti, who commands the RSF. Both men, with a long history of human rights abuses, are battling for control of Africa's third-largest country, which is rich in natural resources. The bloodshed has so far claimed at least 270 lives and left over 2,600 wounded, said the director-general of the UN's World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus. The army blamed the "rebel militia" for the collapse of the truce, accusing it of continuing "skirmishes around the army headquarters and the airport." The RSF, in turn, accused the army of "committing violations" and breaching the cease-fire by launching "sporadic attacks" on its forces and bases around the capital. The failure of the truce, despite strong international pressure, raises fears of a prolonged conflict.

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