At the end of a day of heavy fighting, the army struck a base belonging to the government's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of Omdurman
Sudan's army launched air strikes on a rival paramilitary force's base near the capital in a bid to reassert control over the country on Sunday after a power struggle erupted into clashes that killed 56 civilians and dozens of fighters.
The fighting that broke out on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by deputy leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust president Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019.
At the end of a day of heavy fighting, the army struck a base belonging to the government's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of Omdurman, which adjoins the capital Khartoum, eyewitnesses said late on Saturday.
Both the military and the RSF claimed they had control of Sudan's airport and other key installations in Khartoum, where fighting raged overnight.
In the early hours of Sunday, residents reported hearing gunfire and explosions from heavy artillery through the night. Al Arabiya television broadcast footage showing thick plume of smoke rising over some districts in Khartoum.
"We're scared, we haven't slept for 24 hours because of the noise and the house shaking. We're worried about running out of water and food, and medicine for my diabetic father," Huda, a young resident in southern Khartoum told Reuters.
"There's so much false information and everyone is lying. We don't know when this will end, how it will end," she added.
Tagreed Abdin, an architect living in Khartoum, said the power was out and people were trying to conserve phone batteries. "We can hear air strikes, shelling, and gunfire," she said.
Doctors unions said it was difficult for medics and the sick to get to and from hospitals and called on the army and RSF to provide safe passage.
Social media videos showed military jets flying low over the city, at least one appearing to fire a missile.
The military and RSF, which experts say is 100,000 strong, have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup.
The fighting followed rising tensions over the RSF's integration into the military. The disagreement over the timetable for that has delayed the signing of an internationally backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy.
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