Sudan fighting: How military rivalry descended into open warfare

As the people of Sudan woke up to a third day of battles between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), international concern is growing as are fears among those unable to leave their homes to get food, medical care and other essential services.

News of the death toll rising to at least 97 circulated on Monday as air raids and shelling intensified in parts of the capital, Khartoum, and its sister city, Omdurman.White smoke rose near army headquarters in Khartoum as the fighting forced residents to hide in their homes and power outages and looting were reported.

A four-hour ceasefire that was called on Sunday to allow safe passage for trapped civilians was reportedly broken before it ended.

Medical committees are calling for calm and safe passage for patients to reach medical facilities and to allow medical teams to reach the wounded.

While the struggle for supremacy between the army and the RSF has been apparent for a few years – since the overthrow of former President Omar al-Bashir in 2019 on the back of mass protests – there are countless questions circulating about what precipitated such an open confrontation between the two forces.