Sudan's civil war enters its fourth day with no sight of any relief

New Delhi: As gunfights, violence and bloody clashes continue in Sudan Tuesday, for the fourth day running in the capital Khartoum of Sudan and other cities, hundreds of thousands of civilians huddled in their homes in fear, many without essential items like baby food, water to drink and different crucial daily needs.

Meanwhile, the army and rival paramilitary troops continue to battle in the streets for control of the country amid airstrikes, shelling from heavy artillery and small arms with failed law and order and free to loot and kill.

Initial reports suggest that around 200 people have been killed and over 2,000 wounded since the fighting erupted. However, eyewitnesses who can not come out of their homes have seen from their windows scattered dead bodies of the fighters scattered on the streets.

The death toll could be much higher because there are many dead bodies in the streets around central Khartoum that no one can reach because of the clashes.

There has been no official word on how many civilians or combatants have been killed. The only sources are from the hospitals and doctors' syndicate, which put the number of civilian deaths around 150.

Witnesses said that the two heavily armed rival troops, trained professionals who know how to use firearms, are using tanks, artillery, and other heavy weapons in densely populated cities. Fighter jets swooped overhead, and anti-aircraft fire lit up the skies, scaring civilians holed up in their dwellings.

Over the weekend, the sudden outbreak of violence between the nation's two top generals, each backed by tens of thousands of heavily armed fighters, trapped millions of people in their homes or wherever they could find shelter, with supplies running low and several hospitals forced to shut down.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the violence

The outbreak of fighting that was taking place in Sudan and appealed to the leaders of the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces to immediately cease hostilities, restore calm and begin a dialogue to resolve the crisis.

"The situation has already led to horrendous loss of life, including many civilians. Any further escalation could be devastating for the country and the region. I urge all those with influence over the situation to use it in the cause of peace, to support efforts to end the violence, restore order and return to the path of transition, "said Guterres.

"The humanitarian situation in Sudan was already precarious and is now catastrophic. I condemn the deaths and injuries to civilians and humanitarian workers and the targeting and looting of premises. I remind all parties of the need to respect international law, including ensuring the safety and security of all United Nations and associated personnel and humanitarian aid workers, "added Guterres.

The UN Secretary-General also spoke with the two Sudanese leaders and has sought support from the African Union, the Arab League and leaders across the region to help diffuse the situation in Sudan.

 An EU ambassador and a UN diplomat were tortured by fighters at their home

The European Union ambassador to Khartoum was attacked in his home in Khartoum on Monday, the bloc's top diplomat Josep Borrell said.

EU spokeswoman Nabila Massrali told AFP news agency the EU delegation had not been evacuated from Khartoum following the attack. She added that staff security was the priority, and security measures were being assessed.

Most of the diplomats and international staff are scared that they can be attacked as there is no one to control the fighting troops, who are trained paramilitary and army, even though the security of diplomatic premises and staff is a primary responsibility of Sudanese authorities and an obligation under international law.

A UN spokesperson said that most UN aid programmes are temporarily halted due to the fighting. Ten UN agencies and more than 80 non-governmental organizations are running more than 250 programmes in Sudan.

"We currently have no access into or out of the country with the borders and airport remaining closed. The crossfire at Khartoum airport also reportedly damaged a plane belonging to the UN Humanitarian Air Service — which, as you can imagine, is critical to our operations in a country like Sudan. It impacts the UN's ability to access remote parts of the country where needs are highest.

The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, said he is horrified by the deaths of humanitarian workers, including three World Food Programme (WFP) colleagues. He is also disturbed by reports of large-scale looting of aid and damage to humanitarian facilities. The hostilities will only hamper our humanitarian response efforts — when needs are at an all-time high in Sudan.

Nearly one-third of the Sudan population, or almost 16 million people needed humanitarian aid at the start of this year, with some 3.7 million people displaced within Sudan. There are around 4,000 UN staff on the ground, including 800 international teams in Sudan. In addition, dozens of international organisations like ICRC, MSF, Save the Children and other NGOs are working on the ground.

An Indian engineer was killed 

On Saturday, an Indian engineer, Albert Augustine, working in the Dal Group of companies in Sudan, was killed by a stray bullet. Indian officials have issued a travel advisory asking all Indians living in Sudan "that given reported firing and clashes, all Indians in Sudan are advised to take utmost precautions, stay indoors and stop venturing outside with immediate effect."

The travel advisory also asks all Indian planning to travel to Sudan should postpone their travel and stay in touch with the embassy for further updates.

The Sudan power struggle pits Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the commander of the Sudan armed forces (SAF), against Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group. The former allies jointly orchestrated an October 2021 military coup.

The violence has raised the spectre of civil war just as Sudanese tried to revive the drive for a democratic, civilian government after decades of military rule. The clashes came over a dispute on the timing to integrate the RSF into the SAF as part of a power-sharing deal with the civilians who led protests against former president Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

They had a two-year power-sharing deal with the army before being interrupted by a military coup in October 2021. The Sudanese people resisted, and protests took place across the country.