Explosions rocked Khartoum on Monday, with the death toll rising to at least 180 people and residents hunkering down in their homes reporting electricity outages and incidents of looting, Al-Jazeera reported.
“It’s a very fluid situation so it’s very difficult to say where the balance is shifting to,” United Nations special representative to Sudan Volker Perthes added of the violence between the army and paramilitary forces led by rival generals.
Islamic Relief has called for an immediate ceasefire and for both sides to ensure that civilians and humanitarian workers are protected, as they “must never be targeted”.
According to Al-Jazeera, in a press release the charity said that “at least four humanitarian aid workers are among those killed and many aid agency offices have been looted, forcing the suspension of vital humanitarian work. The violence has spread across the country, with Islamic Relief teams reporting the situation in the western region of Darfur is particularly alarming.
Sudan's ruling military council has declared the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) a rebellious group, ordering it be dissolved as deadly battles continue unabated between the two sides in the crisis-hit African country.
According to Press TV, the announcement came through a Monday statement by the council, which is headed by Army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, declaring dissolution of the RSF, which is led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti.
The development came as both sides claimed to have made gains in a violent, nationwide power struggle.
MNA