Fighting between Sudan’s army the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues for a sixth day as the latest attempt at a ceasefire breaks down.
Battles are still raging near the headquarters of the general command and in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman.
The army’s air force is currently shelling several RSF targets in Khartoum and Khartoum Bahri, confrontations have not slowed despite the ceasefire announced on Wednesday.
UN announce 296 fatalities, but number likely higher
The UN’s World Health Organization said on Wednesday that at least 296 people had been killed and more than 3,000 wounded since fighting began, without offering a breakdown of civilians and combatants killed.
However, the death toll is likely higher because bodies remain on the streets and collecting them is too dangerous at this moment in time.
The Doctors’ Syndicate, which monitors casualties, said on Tuesday that at least 174 civilians had been killed and hundreds wounded.
Hundreds of Sudanese soldiers crossed into Chad on Monday
Chad’s Defence Minister Daoud Yaya Brahim confirmed on Wednesday that 320 Sudanese soldiers were stopped and disarmed as they crossed into the country on Monday.
Chad had closed its border with Sudan on Saturday when the fighting broke out.
Brahim said that the country had hosted more than 400,000 Sudanese refugees in the past.
“Today, thousands of refugees are crossing our border to seek protection. We have no choice but to welcome and protect them,” he said.
Islamic Relief unable to provide aid, offices looted, staff told to hibernate
Islamic Relief, like many other humanitarian organisations in Sudan, has halted its operations due to safety concerns.
“I can hear now the shelling and the airstrikes,” Elsadig Elnour, Islamic Relief’s Sudan country director, told Al Jazeera from his residence in Khartoum.
The charity wants to evacuate their international staff out of the country but are unable to do so, the director said, saying all staff have been told to stay at home.
The organisation’s office in central Darfur was looted in recent days by armed forces, and several cars were also stolen, Elnour said.
“This war is going on [and] it is completely unpredictable,” he added.
Residents continue to flee Khartoum despite risks
Reporting from Khartoum, Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan says that those fleeing the capital fear being shot at if they are suspected of being seen as either members of the RSF or the Sudanese Army.
Despite this, thousands continue to escape from the city, she says “because of the lack of electricity for six days now, because of a shortage of drinking water, because of the difficulty to access medical facilities”.
“They’d rather take that risk and go to places like River Nile in the north, or Gezira in the south, central parts of Sudan to be able to find at least basic commodities and get medical assistance”.
