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New fighting shatters temporary truce in Sudan capital

Destroyed vehicles after clashes between Sudanese army forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Fighting in Sudan has entered a second week, with gunfire and explosions shattering a temporary truce in the capital Khartoum where a violent power struggle has left hundreds dead.

The heavy explosions that had previously rocked the city in recent days had subsided overnight, but bursts of gunfire resumed on Saturday morning.

Forces commanded by two previously allied leaders of Sudan's ruling council are two sides of the warring faction. 

Sudanese military soldiers and gunmen from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shot at each other all day on Friday in neighborhoods across the city.

The shootings continued during the call for the special early morning of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr prayers, with gunfire punctuated by the thud of artillery and airstrikes.

Drone footage showed smoke across Khartoum and its Nile sister cities, together with one of Africa's biggest urban areas.

The army and its adversary the RSF paramilitary had said separately that they agreed to a three-day truce to enable people to celebrate Eid.

RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti, said early Saturday that he had received a phone call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The two "emphasized the necessity of adhering to a complete ceasefire and providing protection for humanitarian and medical workers, especially UN staff as well as regional and international organizations," Hemedti said in a post on his official Facebook account.

The RSF said late on Friday it was ready to partially open all of Sudan's airports so foreign governments could evacuate their nationals.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands wounded since the deadly clashes broke out last week between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy Daglo.

"Four hundred and thirteen people have died and 3,551 people have been injured," World Health Organization spokeswoman Margaret Harris told reporters in Geneva Friday.

The UN children's agency UNICEF said at least nine children were among the dead and more than 50 had been wounded.


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