Sudan's army pounds paramilitary bases with air strikes in power struggle

It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust veteran Islamist autocrat Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019 and was sparked by a disagreement over the integration of the RSF into the military as part of a transition towards the civilian rule.

The United States, China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UN Security Council, European Union and African Union have appealed for a quick end to the hostilities that threaten to worsen instability in an already volatile wider region.

Efforts by neighbours and regional bodies to end the violence intensified on Sunday. That included an offer by Egypt and South Sudan to mediate between the fighting parties, according to a statement by the Egyptian presidency.

The two rivals have been competing for power as political factions negotiate forming a transitional government after a 2021 military coup. Hemedti's whereabouts were unknown on Sunday but Burhan was inside army headquarters in downtown Khartoum.

Witnesses and residents told Reuters that the army had carried out air strikes on RSF barracks and bases, including in Omdurman across the Nile river from the capital Khartoum, and managed to destroy most of their facilities.

They said the army had also wrested back control over much of Khartoum's presidential palace from the RSF after both sides claimed to control it and other key installations in Khartoum, where heavy artillery and gun battles raged into Sunday.

RSF members remained inside Khartoum international airport besieged by the army but it was holding back from striking them to avoid wreaking major damage, witnesses said.

"The hour of victory is near," the army said in a statement on Sunday. "We pray for mercy for the innocent lives taken by this reckless adventure taken by the rebel Rapid Support militia ... We will have good news for our patient and proud people soon, God willing."

But a major problem, witnesses and residents said, was posed by thousands of heavily armed RSF members deployed inside neighbourhoods of the capital Khartoum and other cities, with no authority able to control them.

The UN World Food Programme said it had temporarily halted all operations in hunger-stricken areas of Sudan after three Sudanese employees were killed during fighting in North Darfur and a WFP plane was hit during a gunbattle at Khartoum airport.

The weekend fighting followed rising tensions over the RSF's integration into the military. Disagreement over the timetable for that has delayed the signing of an internationally backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy.

A protracted confrontation could plunge Sudan into widespread conflict as it struggles with economic breakdown and tribal violence, derailing efforts to move towards elections.

Sudan's former PM urges ceasefire, says there can be no return to dictatorship

Sudan's former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok urged on Sunday an immediate ceasefire and a return to dialogue between the country's army and RSF.

"We need to at least reach a truce that will lead to establishing a humanitarian corridor, that will allow civilians to have access to medicine, treatment and food," Hamdok told reporters at a news conference in Abu Dhabi.

Hamdok also said he rejects foreign intervention, urging the international community to support dialogue between the military factions.

African Union peace and security body meets to discuss Sudan

The African Union's Peace and Security Council convened at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa in an emergency session on Sunday to discuss political and security developments in Sudan.

The council said it strongly rejected any external interference that could complicate the situation in Sudan.