Fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and a rival paramilitary unit on Saturday, sparking fears of a possible civil war.At least three people were killed in the capital Khartoum, where sustained gunfire and explosions could be heard in several neighbourhoods, including at the airport and near the presidential palace in the north of the city.
There also appeared to be fighting in the south of the city, the base for paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - which was supposed to be integrated into the state military.
The RSF said in a statement they had taken control of the presidential palace and the airport but the army denied this on Twitter.
The statements of both sides could not be independently verified.
Media reports and eyewitnesses said RSF forces had attacked the airport while the air force had hit RSF bases.
According to eyewitnesses, at least two tanks were deployed in Khartoum.
RSF said army soldiers had entered their headquarters.Media reports said there were also clashes in the states of White Nile and North Darfur.
The military, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has held power in the country since the overthrow of long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir in April 2019.
The military and the RSF, under leader Mohammed Hamdan Daglo, jointly took power in 2021, but tensions between the two military leaders have increased in recent months.
Al-Burhan told Al-Jazeera TV that his house had also been attacked but the situation is under control again.However, Daglo told the same network that he wanted to bring al-Burhan and his allies to justice.
Al-Burhan would either be captured "or die like a dog," he said.The US ambassador to Sudan, John Godfrey, confirmed on Twitter that gunfire and fighting could be heard in Khartoum and warned that an escalation of tensions was "extremely dangerous."
The embassy urged its staff and US citizens in Sudan not to leave their homes.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted: "Deeply concerned about reports of escalating violence between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Rapid Support Forces. We are in touch with the Embassy team in Khartoum - all are currently accounted for. We urge all actors to stop the violence immediately and avoid further escalations."
The dispute is delaying the transition to a civilian government as promised by al-Burhan.
The United Nations Special Representative in Sudan, Volker Perthes, called for an immediate cessation of hostilities. He said both sides must guarantee the security of the Sudanese people and refrain from further violence.
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also called for an immediate end to the violence.
"An escalation will only aggravate the situation," he warned via Twitter. The safety of citizens was the top priority, he said, while adding that all EU staff in the country were accounted for.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia's national carrier has said it has suspended all flights to and from troubled Sudan after one of its aircraft was damaged by gunfire on Saturday at Khartoum airport.
Egypt's state carrier, EgyptAir, has announced halting flights to and from Khartoum airport for 72 hours starting from Saturday due to the "instable security situation in Sudan."
Only on Thursday, the Sudanese army had warned against a mobilization of the RSF. Observers saw the mobilization as a threatening gesture against al-Burhan.
Recently, Daglo had surprisingly spoken out in favour of a quick transition to civilian rule, thus putting himself in opposition to al-Burhan.
