Clashes renew between Sudan's warring factions

KHARTOUM — Clashes have renewed between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, according to eyewitnesses and local media.

Clashes rocked the capital Khartoum and a major city in the western Darfur region, eyewitnesses told Agence France-Presse, displacing thousands within days.

Residents of violence-wracked Nyala, Sudan's second city and capital of South Darfur, awoke to "the sound of artillery strikes", they said.

Hundreds fled the city on Sunday as fighting intensified in the region bordering Chad.

"The violence has displaced an estimated 20,000 people from several neighborhoods" of Nyala, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA.

The head of the Sudanese Armed Forces, or SAF, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan on Monday vowed the SAF would stand with the Sudanese people and support their legitimate right to establish a state where the law, democracy, and institutions prevail.

He made the remarks on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the establishment of the SAF, where the Sudanese army chief pledged to "reach a political formula that is strong, fair and acceptable to the people and leads the country to elections in which the people choose who to rule".

Sudan has been witnessing deadly clashes between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, which have resulted in at least 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

According to local media and eyewitnesses, many people lost their lives in the escalated tribal violence in the South Darfur state.

"Since Friday, fighting has been taking place between the Salamat and Bani Halba tribes," an eyewitness from Nyala told Xinhua on Sunday.

"This morning, the conflict escalated between the two tribes, resulting in large numbers of deaths and injuries," said an eyewitness who requested anonymity.

Adam Abbakar Ishaq, a leading figure in Nyala's local resistance committees, said the mobilization by the two tribes threatens a humanitarian catastrophe.

"Both tribes are mobilizing more fighters amid unprecedented security chaos and complete absence of official authorities," he told Xinhua.

Xinhua - Agencies