Sudan: fighting continues, witnesses fear 'siege' in Khartoum

Artillery fire, street fighting and explosions shook Khartoum, Sudan's capital on Tuesday, where the army and paramilitaries are vying for power for the eighth consecutive week as the humanitarian situation worsens, witnesses said.

In the heart of the capital, on Tuti Island, at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile, Sudanese say paramilitaries are "blocking the only bridge" and "preventing them from using the boats" that connect them to the rest of Khartoum.

More than one and a half million displaced

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It's a complete siege and if it continues, food will run out in shops," Mohammed Youssouf, a resident of the island, said in a telephone conversation with AFP. In Khartoum, the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane is confronting paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, in fighting "with all types of weapons", residents of the south of the city told AFP.

The violence of the explosions makes "shake the walls of the houses", according to these testimonies. Others reported "heavy artillery fire" coming from army barracks in the northern suburbs. The conflict between the two rival generals, which broke out on April 15, has left more than 1800 dead, according to the NGO ACLED, which specializes in gathering information in conflict zones.

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More than one and a half million people have left their homes, internally displaced or sought refuge in neighbouring countries, according to the UN. "We are facing a severe humanitarian crisis that will only worsen with the collapse of the economy and health system," the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned. According to her, "the approaching rainy season, combined with the impending hunger crisis and epidemics that now seem inevitable", such as cholera and malaria, will worsen the situation. "Additional funds are needed to help the most needy," the federation said in a statement.

Sudan was already one of the poorest countries in the world before the war. One in three residents suffered from hunger, long power cuts were daily and the health system was on the verge of collapse. Today, 25 million of Sudan's 45 million people need humanitarian assistance to survive, according to the UN. Three-quarters of hospitals in combat zones are out of order, according to the doctors' union, the rest have almost no equipment or medicines.

On 31 May, the army withdrew from negotiations aimed at creating safe corridors for civilians and humanitarian aid. On June 1, the United States and Saudi Arabia, mediators between the two sides, announced the suspension of these negotiations before Washington announced sanctions against companies associated with the military and paramilitaries.