KHARTOUM, Sudan
Sudan's warring military factions clashed by air and on the ground in the country's capital on Tuesday, as increased violence and spreading lawlessness added to the misery of residents already struggling with limited food and medicine.
"Our neighbourhood has
become a war zone. There are fierce clashes and strikes all around us because
our house is next to the Engineers' Corps," said 45-year-old Jawahir
Mohamed.
"We are scared of dying
but we are also scared of leaving our house and being burgled," she added.
The fighting has inflicting
heavy damage on the capital where the remaining residents are at the mercy of
battles, air strikes and looting.
Artillery and air strikes
continued overnight, with residents in southern and eastern Khartoum and
northern Bahri reporting hearing sounds of artillery and gun clashes on Tuesday
morning.
Fighting between the army and
paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), now in its eighth week, has killed
hundreds of civilians, and driven 400,000 across borders and more than 1.2
million out of the capital and other cities.
Looters, some of whom Khartoum
residents and neighborhood committees say belong to the RSF, have pillaged
neighborhoods across the capital, stealing cars, breaking open safes, and
occupying homes.
Fighting has expanded beyond
Khartoum to the Darfur region to the West, where the RSF originated and
maintains a power base. Also hit by fighting is the city of El Obeid, a key
route between Khartoum and Darfur.
Aid groups have struggled to
provide extensive assistance to Khartoum residents, who face electricity and
water shortages as well as dwindling supplies in shops and pharmacies.
Neighborhood-based resistance
committees have organised such assistance, but have struggled as fighting has
intensified.
"We could not distribute
medicines because of the air and artillery bombardment," said one activist
who asked not to be named.
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