Fighting persisted in Sudan's capital Tuesday evening despite pledges by the military and a rival paramilitary group to observe a 24-hour cease-fire.
Witnesses reported hearing explosions and shooting in multiple parts of Khartoum after the declared 6 p.m. start of the cease-fire.
"The fighting remains underway," Atiya Abdulla Atiya of the Sudan Doctors' Syndicate told The Associated Press. "We are hearing constant gunfire."
Earlier, leaders of Sudan's warring parties publicly declared they would observe a cease-fire amid pressure from the United States, United Nations and African leaders to end four days of fighting that has forced many Khartoum residents to shelter in their homes.
The pledges came after U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of Sudan's armed forces, and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and urged them to halt the fighting, in part to permit delivery of humanitarian aid.
The U.S. State Department said Blinken urged Burhan and Dagalo to allow the international community in Khartoum "to make sure its presence is secure" and stressed the responsibility of the two generals "to ensure the safety and well-being of civilians, diplomatic personnel, and humanitarian workers."
Blinken's call to the two Sudanese rivals was one of many from the international community urging peace in the north African country. A communique issued Tuesday by foreign ministers from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations as they met in Karuizawa, Japan condemned the fighting. The foreign ministers said the fighting "threatens the security and safety of Sudanese civilians and undermines efforts to restore Sudan's democratic transition."
"We urge the parties to end hostilities immediately without pre-conditions. We call on all actors to renounce violence, return to negotiations, and take active steps to reduce tensions and ensure the safety of all civilians, including diplomatic and humanitarian personnel," the communique also said.
Fighting between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out Saturday, after months of rising tension over the country’s political future and plans to integrate the RSF into the national army.
The head of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that according to Sudanese authorities, 270 people have been killed in the fighting and more than 2,600 injured.
Fighting continued Tuesday around each side's bases and government buildings in Khartoum, and VOA reporter Michael Atit said a number of hospitals have been closed down because of damage or insecurity.
Large portions of the capital were without electricity and water. The violence also affected Khartoum's adjoining sister cities of Omdurman and Bahri, with bridges linking the cities blocked by armored vehicles.
The U.S. Embassy issued a fresh alert to American citizens in Sudan, strongly advising them to remain indoors and shelter in place. It said due to insecurity and the closure of the airport, there are no plans for a U.S. government-coordinated evacuation.
Calls for dialogue
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday again condemned the outbreak of fighting and appealed to the leaders of Sudan's military and the RSF paramilitary group "to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis."
"I urge all those with influence over the situation to use it in the cause of peace," he said, adding, "The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already precarious and is now catastrophic."
The two military factions battling for control of Sudan had shared power during a shaky political transition. The clashes are part of a power struggle between General Burhan, who also heads the transitional council, and General Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, the deputy head of the transitional council.
John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the National Security Council, told reporters on Monday that U.S. officials had "been in direct contact" with both generals "to urge them to end the hostilities immediately." He added that U.S. officials were also working closely with the African Union, the Arab League and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, an East African bloc.
"We call for an immediate cease-fire, without conditions, between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces," he said. "As Secretary Blinken mentioned this morning, the fighting is killing civilians and threatens the Sudanese nation as well as stability in the region."
But when asked by VOA what specific leverage the U.S. has to influence the warring parties, Kirby said, "I'm not going to speak to specific diplomatic leverage."
He added that all U.S. personnel in the north African nation were accounted for and are sheltering in place.
The RSF claimed Monday it had captured an airport and military bases. The military claimed it regained control of the main television station and said it was in control of its headquarters after brief fighting there.
The fighting in Khartoum has forced most people to stay inside. Offices, schools and gas stations are closed.
Residents of Khartoum said there has been no police presence on the city's streets since the clashes began.
The European Union said its envoy to Sudan was assaulted in his residence on Monday but did not give further details.
Blinken confirmed that a U.S. diplomatic convoy came under fire Monday, adding that initial reports indicated the attack was by forces linked to the Rapid Support Forces.
Calls to end the fighting have come from around the world and within Africa, including the African Union, the Arab League and IGAD.
IGAD said Kenyan President William Ruto, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and Djibouti's President Omar Guelleh will go to Khartoum to broker an immediate cease-fire.
"President Salva Kiir has already been in touch with both General Burhan and General Hemedti to convey the message of the summit. … Now, preparations are on the way to undertake this mission," Nuur Mohamud Sheekh, a spokesperson for IGAD's executive secretary, told VOA.
Sudan's two top generals, however, have yet to express a willingness to negotiate and each has demanded the other's surrender.
Dagalo said Monday on Twitter that he was defending democracy in Sudan and called Burhan a "radical Islamist." Dagalo's forces emerged out of the notorious Janjaweed militias in Sudan's Darfur region and have been accused of carrying out atrocities in the region.
The two generals are former allies who orchestrated an October 2021 military coup that derailed a transition to civilian rule following the 2019 ouster of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir.
Tensions between the generals have been growing over disagreements about how the RSF should be integrated in the army and who should oversee that process. The restructuring of the military was part of an effort to restore the country to civilian rule and end the political crisis sparked by the 2021 military coup.
VOA English to Africa's Carol Van Dam Falk, VOA Africa correspondent Mariama Diallo, VOA U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer, VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell, VOA State Department Bureau Chief Nike Ching and VOA reporter Michael Atit contributed to this report. Some information for this article came from The Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
