Clashes in Sudan despite calls for Eid ceasefire

Sudan's warring forces clashed again in the nation's capital early Friday, with bombing and shelling reported in several areas of Khartoum, as they ignored appeals by world powers for an end-of-Ramadan ceasefire.

Both UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called separately for a ceasefire of "at least" three days to mark Eid Al Fitr in the mostly Muslim country, as explosions and gunfire resounded in the capital Khartoum for the sixth straight night.

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"On the night of Eid al-Fitr, several areas of Khartoum were bombed and are still exposed to shelling and clashes between the armed forces and the RSF," the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said in a statement.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a meeting. File photo

"We call on all citizens to exercise caution, stay home, close doors and windows and lie down. We also call on these forces to be responsible and immediately stop fighting to protect innocent lives."

The capital has borne the brunt of some of the fiercest fighting, with most of its five million people sheltering at home without electricity, food or water.

Residents have struggled to sleep for nearly a week and been jolted awake by "the roaring sound of fighter jets and air strikes", said Nazek Abdalla, a 38-year-old in southern Khartoum.

"We locked our doors and windows, hoping no stray bullets would hit our building, Abdalla added. "We wish the fighting would stop during Eid festivities. We know it will not happen though."

Destroyed military vehicles are seen in southern in Khartoum, Sudan, on Thursday. AP

Blinken "condemned the indiscriminate fighting" in separate conversations with both Burhan and Daglo, his spokesperson said in a Friday statement.

"He urged both military leaders to implement and uphold a nationwide ceasefire and sustain it through at least the end of Eid Al Fitr, Sunday, April 23," the statement said.

As battles raged Friday, Burhan appeared on television for the first time since hostilities began, to deliver an Eid address as in previous years.

Agence France-Presse