Sudan: Khartoum shaken by blasts, army invites volunteers again

Explosions were heard in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Monday (July 3) as the army rallied civilians to take up arms against a fresh onslaught by the country's paramilitary forces. At dawn, the sound of artillery fire shook northwest Khartoum before progressing towards the centre and east of the city, AFP reported.

The fighting "began at 4:00 am and is still going," one resident told AFP.

There were just a few hours of respite for war-torn Khartoum after heavy clashes that took place on Sunday between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

On Monday, the army said that it was ready to "receive and prepare" volunteer fighters. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last week urged Sudanese "youth and all those able to defend" to join the military.

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The call has been largely rejected by war-weary civilians. They are pleading for an end to the relentless war between Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

Other than Khartoum, some of the worst fighting has taken place in the vast western region of Darfur. RSF forces, on Sunday, "attacked the military base" in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur.

Nearly 3000 people have been killed in the violence since April 15. However, AFP said that medics have warned that the death toll can be much higher since two-thirds of health facilities in combat areas remain out of service.

The conflict has displaced a further 2.2 million people within the country. Another 645,000 have fled across borders. These figures have been released by International Organization for Migration.

Darfur is home to a quarter of Sudan's population and is still scarred by a two-decade war. Residents there as well as the United Nations, United States and others, say civilians have been targeted and killed for their ethnicity by the RSF and allied Arab militias.

RSF in focus

The RSF has been accused of intentionally targeting civilians in Darfur. The allegations also say that RSF personnel shot people fleeing towards the Chadian border.

The paramilitaries have also been identified as the main perpetrators of conflict-related sexual assault by survivors in both Darfur and Khartoum.

As per the government's Combating Violence Against Women and Children Unit, most of the 42 survivors in Khartoum -- and all of the 46 survivors in the Darfur cities of Nyala and El Geneina -- said they were assaulted by RSF fighters.

RSF fighters are highly mobile and are embedded in densely populated neighbourhoods. They have been accused of widespread break-ins and looting.

(With inputs from agencies)

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