Landlines and internet return to Sudan’s Khartoum after hours of interruption

Sudan has been rocked by violence since April 15, when tensions between army and paramilitary RSF turned into conflict

Rapid Support Forces fighters in the East Nile district of Khartoum. Witnesses reported more fighting on Friday. AFP

Landline, mobile and internet networks in Khartoum resumed in Sudan’s Khartoum on Friday after they were completely cut off for several hours, amid intensified clashes in the capital.

Sounds of heavy weapons were heard in the capital and clouds of smoke could be seen rising in different areas of the city – after talks a day earlier in Egypt aimed at launching a new peace initiative to resolve the deepening conflict.

Sudan has been rocked by violence since April 15, when tensions between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces burst into open fighting. The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people, although the actual death toll is likely much higher, according to doctors and activists.

Reports said clashes between the two rival groups have surged in the past couple of weeks after a lull in fighting during the Eid Al Adha ceasefire. More recently, some reports suggest at least 30 people died when the Sudanese army shelled a market in Omdurman two days ago.

Meanwhile, the International Criminal Court has opened a new probe into alleged war crimes in Sudan, its chief prosecutor said on Thursday, expressing major concern over escalating violence.

Karim Khan made the announcement in a report to the UN Security Council, after three months of war between the feuding generals plunged the northeast African country back into chaos.

The ICC has been investigating crimes in Sudan's Darfur region since 2005 after a referral by the UN Security Council, and the Hague-based court has charged former leader Omar Al Bashir with offenses including genocide.

The UN has warned of possible new massacres in Darfur, saying on Thursday that the bodies of at least 87 people killed last month, allegedly by the RSF and their allies, had been buried in a mass grave in Darfur.