Mass displacement as Sudanese flee from the deadly clashes in Khartoum

Rival Sudanese generals on Wednesday night made a fresh 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire attempt after a failed truce the night before, but sporadic fighting continued, and aid groups said they needed guarantees and a wider window to help civilians trapped by five days of intense fighting in cities.

Mass exodus

According to Euro News, the terrified Sudanese fled Khartoum earlier in the day, carrying whatever belongings they could and trying to get out of the capital, where forces loyal to the country’s two main generals have been fighting with tanks, artillery and airstrikes since Saturday.

“The fighting became less intense in the early hours after the ceasefire took effect at 6 p.m., with sporadic clashes continuing in the city center, but he added that neither side had given guarantees to his group to facilitate the movement of healthcare workers and ambulances.”

“Desperate residents took shelter in their homes from street fights, hospitals were damaged, forced to close or were overwhelmed by the wounded as staff and medical supplies ran out, and increasingly, armed fighters looted shops and robbed anyone who dared to get out.”

The U.N. health agency said nearly 300 people had been killed in the past five days, but the toll is likely higher as many bodies have been dumped in the streets.

In the tense hours after Wednesday’s ceasefire, Abdullah al-Tayeb joined other residents in collecting bodies near the main military headquarters, the scene of fierce clashes, describing the situation as “almost rotting causing a foul odor that reached our homes, the scene was horrible.”

“After a failed truce attempt on Tuesday night, hundreds gave up trying to hold out for a day and fled their homes all day, even as explosions and gunfire rocked Khartoum and the nearby city of Omdurman.”

Multiple neighborhood residents told the Associated Press that they can see men, women and children leaving with their belongings, some on foot, others crowding in vehicles.

“They go in small groups, from house to house and shop to store, looting everything, storming your house and taking all the valuables at gunpoint,” said a resident of the upscale Kafuri neighborhood in northern Khartoum.

“Many families have started to take up arms to defend their property, the resident said, adding that he and his brother are guarding their house at night.”