Aerial strikes by Sudan army rock Khartoum despite truce

The Sudanese army has launched airstrikes against positions of paramilitary forces in the capital Khartoum despite its acceptance of extending a ceasefire.

The army said it’s jets pounded the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum on Thursday.

The army further declared late Wednesday that it had agreed to talks in Juba, capital of neighboring South Sudan, on extending the three-day truce, which expires on Friday "at the initiative of IGAD," the East African regional bloc.

There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out in mid-April between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF -- commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

All truce agreements, however, have failed so for.

The deadly fighting has now flared beyond the capital, extending to provinces, particularly in the western region of Darfur, which have already been plagued by violence.

According to witnesses, clashes between the army and the RSF raged for a second straight day in the West Darfur capital of Geneina.

The United Nations humanitarian agency also reported killings, looting and arson in Geneina on Wednesday.

“An estimated 50,000 acutely malnourished children have had nutritional support disrupted due to the fighting," it added in a statement. 

Many civilians have been trapped in their homes, where they have endured severe shortages of food, water and electricity. Communications have also been sporadically disrupted. 

According to the UN, civilians were seen fleeing to the nearby border with Chad.

SS