Residents trapped by fighting in Sudan say their neighbourhoods have been “turned into a war zone” as violence continues despite a 72-hour ceasefire agreed on Tuesday.
Gunfire was reported on the second day of the three-day ceasefire brokered by the US and Saudi Arabia, the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA, said on Thursday.
“Armed men are entering civilian houses to take cover, forcing civilians to leave their houses. They turned our neighbourhood into a war zone,” said Hamsa Alfakri who lives in Abu Halima, north of Khartoum.
“It's getting worse and worse.”
Disruptions to power, the internet, water supplies and food have been widely reported.
“An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had their treatment disrupted due to the conflict,” OCHA said.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which is fighting the army, said on Wednesday that it took over the Gerri refinery, one of the country's three biggest.
Sudan's largest flour mill was also destroyed. “How will we have bread?” said Ms Al Fakri.
Ms Al Fakri said the worsening situation had made her family want to flee the country.
“My family is panicking and want to leave Sudan as well. I don't know when this will end or how it will end, but I know that I don't want to leave my country,” she said.
“I feel sad and helpless.”
Since the fighting began on April 15, Sudan has seen a mass flight of diplomats and foreigners. Many Sudanese have left their homes and fled to neighbouring Chad and Egypt.
Egypt says an estimated 10,000 people crossed its borders in the last five days.
Sudan's Consul General in Egypt's Aswan, Abdel Qader Abdullah, urged civilians to seek safety inside the country rather than heading to Egypt due to overcrowding at the border.
People are now stranded due to a lack of services on the Arqin crossing, he told state news agency Suna on Wednesday.
“Those stranded in Arqin are being deported,” Mr Abdullah said.
Ceasefire extended
Sudan's army said its chief, Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, had given his preliminary approval for extending the ceasefire by another three days, despite reports of breaches. He has also agreed to send an army envoy to the capital of South Sudan, Juba, for talks.
But the situation remains dire for many.
Mohammed Abdalaziz, camps co-ordinator for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Al Fasher, North Darfur, said displaced people in camps were vulnerable because of a scarcity of services after the suspension of humanitarian work.
He said the situation in North Darfur was “calmer” compared with heavy fighting earlier in the week.
“Yet gunshots can be heard from time to time in different directions,” he said. “The town community is concerned about the visible tension on the street and the volatile situation around the country.
“The local community is facing challenges to obtain basic services such as water, electricity, communication network, food, and home supplies. Supplies are not coming to Al Fasher.”
People in Al Geneina, in nearby West Darfur state, are surrounded by “major violence”, Mr Abdalaziz said.
“I used to work there,” he said. “I know how vulnerable and defenceless displaced communities are in the city. They live in tents and have nowhere to hide. Darfur has seen so much suffering, for so many years. This needs to stop.
“I am staying inside with other colleagues. I also keep daily communication with the team who are thankfully safe for the time being and advised to follow all the safety instructions and keep on being informed of the situation.
“But we were saddened to hear that many of our colleagues have lost family members and friends as a result of the ongoing conflict.
“I am seriously concerned about the safety and well-being of my relatives, friends, and colleagues in other states around the country where NRC operates.”
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A member of the Saudi Navy carries a child from a ship at Jeddah's port during the kingdom's evacuation of civilians from Sudan. Reuters -
Indian nationals evacuated from Sudan arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. EPA -
Sudanese refugees queue to receive aid from the World Food Programme near the border between Sudan and Chad in Adre, Chad. Reuters -
Tunisian citizens evacuated from Sudan leave a military aircraft upon their arrival at Tunis-Carthage International Airport. AFP -
Indians evacuated from Sudan arrive on a flight at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India. AP Photo -
Moroccan nationals, who have been evacuated from Sudan, arrive at Mohammed V airport in Casablanca, Morocco. EPA -
A boat with 1,687 civilians from more than 50 countries fleeing violence in Sudan, arrives at King Faisal naval base in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AFP -
RSF fighters in the East Nile district of greater Khartoum. AFP -
Passengers disembark a plane from Djibouti at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport near Paris after being evacuated from Sudan. AFP -
Buildings destroyed in recent fighting in Khartoum, Sudan. AP -
Passengers fleeing the fighting in Sudan arrive at Wadi Karkar bus station in Aswan, Egypt. EPA -
Ali Mazloum, a Lebanese citizen who was evacuated from Sudan, is welcomed upon his arrival at Beirut airport. Reuters -
A woman helps another after fleeing clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum. Reuters -
Soldiers attend to Greek citizens evacuated from Sudan as they disembark from a military aircraft in Attica, Greece. EPA -
People carry hibiscus juice and cold water for those being evacuated from Khartoum to Port Sudan. Reuters -
Thais wait to be evacuated by boat at a port in Sudan. EPA -
Greek citizens arrive from Sudan on a military plane in Elefsina, south of Athens. AFP -
Japan's senior Vice Foreign Minister Shunsuke Takei welcomes his country's citizens in Djibouti after they were rescued from Sudan. AFP -
A member of the Saudi Royal Navy carries a child who was rescued from Sudan, in Jeddah. Reuters -
A military plane carrying evacuees arrives at Ciampino Airport near Rome, Italy. Reuters -
Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani greets the country's ambassador to Sudan, Michele Tommasi, as he arrives at Ciampino Airport. Reuters -
South Korea's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Park Joon-yong, at a Saudi Air Force base in Jeddah, where he met diplomats from his country evacuated from Sudan by the kingdom's air force. Reuters -
Having fled from Sudan, a South Korean nun disembarks from a military plane after landing at King Abdullah Air Base in Jeddah. AFP -
People gather as they seek to escape the violence in Khartoum. Reuters -
Spanish diplomatic personnel and citizens wait to disembark from a military plane after being evacuated from Sudan, in Djibouti. Reuters -
A closed pharmacy and shops in the south of Khartoum as battles rage in the capital between the army and paramilitaries. AFP -
Passengers from Sudan disembark from a Spanish Air Force plane at Torrejon Airbase in Madrid. AP -
People evacuated from Sudan arrive at a military airport in Amman. AFP -
Jordan was among those countries to have rapidly flown its citizens in Sudan to safety. AFP -
This child was one of those to have arrived safely in Amman. AFP -
A building in Khartoum burns as violence rages in Sudan. EPA -
Italian citizens are flown out of the Sudanese capital on a military aircraft. Reuters -
The fighting has caused heavy damage to parts of Khartoum. EPA -
Indonesian citizens travel on a bus during an evacuation operation in Khartoum. EPA -
A Spanish military aircraft takes off from Khartoum as European countries rescue citizens from Sudan. Reuters -
Jordanians arrive at a military airport in Amman after their evacuation from Sudan to escape the fighting. AP -
French troops arrive at an air base in Djibouti to prepare to evacuate about 100 people from Sudan. AFP -
Smoke rises from buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army in Khartoum. Reuters -
Saudis are met by Saudi Royal Navy staff as they arrive at Jeddah on the Red Sea after being evacuated from Sudan. Reuters -
The streets of southern Khartoum bear the scars of fighting between two factions of the Sudanese military. AFP -
A convoy leaves Khartoum for Port Sudan as fighting between military factions in the Sudanese capital continues. AFP -
A civilian convoy leaving Khartoum for Port Sudan. AFP -
Saudi citizens and people of other nations are evacuated by the Saudi Royal Navy from Port Sudan to escape the conflict. Reuters -
A photo from October 2017 of the US embassy in Khartoum. AFP -
Saudi citizens are met by Saudi Royal Navy staff as they arrive at Jeddah after being evacuated from Sudan. Reuters -
Smoke hangs over Khartoum as factions belonging to the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces go back to trading gunfire after a ceasefire failed. AP
