Khartoum Bombarded as Sudan Conflict Talks Continue in Saudi Arabia

JAKARTA - Shelling and airstrikes hit parts of Sudan's capital on Sunday, with little sign that warring military factions were ready to back down in a month-long conflict that has killed hundreds of people, despite talks of a ceasefire bid in Saudi Arabia.

Khartoum and the adjacent cities of Bahri and Omdurman across the two branches of the Nile River, have been a major conflict zone along with western Darfur Province since the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began fighting on April 15.

Shelling hit Bahri and airstrikes hit Omdurman early Sunday, according to a reporter and witnesses.

"There was a heavy airstrike near us in Saliha which rattled the doors of houses," said Salma Yassin, a teacher in Omdurman, as quoted by Reuters, May 15.

Meanwhile, a resident near Khartoum airport, which has been closed since the start of the conflict, said there had been fighting throughout the day.

Meanwhile, the United Nations (UN) said on Sunday the rioting had killed at least 676 people and injured 5,576, while there were numerous reports of missing persons and unburied bodies, the true toll is thought to be much higher.

Some 200,000 people have fled to neighboring countries, while more than 700,000 have taken refuge inside Sudan, triggering a humanitarian crisis that threatens to draw in outside powers and destabilize the region.

The conflict also enveloped the economy. On Sunday, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decree freezing the bank accounts of RSF and its affiliated companies and replacing the governor of the central bank.

Those who have remained in Khartoum have struggled to survive as health services collapsed, power and water supplies were cut and food stocks dwindled.

On Saturday night, RSF gunmen looking for money attacked a church in Omdurman, wounding five people including a priest, said a Coptic Christian activist. The army also blamed the RSF for the attack.

However, the RSF said in a statement that an "extremist" group affiliated with the army was responsible.

The head of the government unit to combat sexual violence said it had received five reports of conflict-related rapes, while the Civilian Front to End the War, a Sudanese campaign group, said it had recorded other unverified reports of sexual violence.

Separately, fighting has reportedly increased in Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. The number of people who died there on Friday and Saturday reached more than 100, including the imam of the city's old mosque, the Darfur Bar Association said in a statement.

Local rights groups blame the killings, looting and arson in Geneina, where hundreds of people died in violence last month, on attacks by gunmen on motorcycles and the RSF. Related to this, RSF also denied being responsible for the riot.

It is known that Army Chief Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, have shared power after the 2021 coup, following the 2019 uprising that toppled veteran autocrat Omar al-Bashir.

But they were at odds over the terms and timing of a planned transition to civilian rule, neither man showing readiness for concessions, with the army controlling air power, while the RSF had influence deep into the city districts.

The ceasefire agreement has been repeatedly violated, but the United States and Saudi Arabia are brokering talks in Jeddah aimed at securing a lasting ceasefire.

"You don't know how long this war will continue... Home is not safe and we don't have enough money to get out of Khartoum. Why are we paying the price of Burhan and Hemedti's war?" Yassin said.

On Thursday, the two sides agreed to a "declaration of principles" to protect civilians and secure humanitarian access.