As the death toll from the fighting in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, surpassed 180 and calls for an immediate cease-fire came from Washington and other international organizations, both military factions fighting for control claimed to have made gains on Monday.
Residents in Khartoum reported hearing fighter jets and anti-aircraft fire after night fell Monday as the violence between Sudan’s military and a paramilitary force raged through a third day.
Volker Perthes, the United Nation’s special representative to Sudan, told reporters by video link from Khartoum Monday that at least 185 people had been killed and more than 1,800 wounded since fighting erupted Saturday.
Given that many of the injured can’t get to hospitals for treatment, the number of casualties from the fighting is likely to increase.The fighting, according to a group of Sudanese doctors, also “heavily damaged” numerous hospitals near the capital.
Despite regional and international calls for a ceasefire as diplomats mobilize, reports indicate that the fighting in the capital is unprecedented and could last for a long time.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday he had spoken with the two generals and “underscored the urgent need for a ceasefireâ€.
Blinken made his calls while in Japan for a meeting of G7 foreign ministers, who also urged the warring sides to “end hostilities immediately†and “ensure the safety of all civiliansâ€.
The European Union’s ambassador to Sudan was attacked in his home in Khartoum on Monday, the bloc’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said. A spokesperson told journalists the veteran diplomat was “OK†following the assault.
Battles have taken place throughout the vast country and there are fears of regional spill-over.
Terrified residents of the capital are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan watching from their windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake and smoke from fires triggered by the fighting hangs in the air.
Earlier Monday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Sudan’s warring parties to “immediately cease hostilitiesâ€.
He warned that further escalation “could be devastating for the country and the regionâ€.
