Death Toll Climbs to 550 as Armed Conflict Continues in Sudan

As the conflict continued between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Sudan's Health Ministry on Tuesday announced that the death toll has climbed to 550. It also registered 4,926 injured people in hospitals.

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Despite the sixth 72-hour truce, intermittent clashes continued between the SAF and the RSF in various areas in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum and Omdurman.

The SAF carried out intensive airstrikes against RSF positions in Bahri, west of Omdurman, and around the army's general command in central Khartoum. The RSF, meanwhile, accused the SAF of violating the humanitarian truce.

In a statement on Tuesday, the RSF said it managed to shoot down a SAF military plane, but the SAF spokesman's office could not be reached to comment on the claim.

Regarding the regional efforts to seek a settlement to the armed conflict in Sudan, local media reported an initiative by South Sudan's President Salva Kiir Mayardit for reaching a 7-day cease-fire.

South Sudan's Foreign Ministry said that the SAF Commander Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had accepted the initiative. However, neither side has commented on the statement.

Meanwhile, the Forces of Freedom and Change Alliance (FFC), a civilian political coalition in Sudan, on Tuesday called on the Sudanese people to stage demonstrations demanding the end of the conflict.

"The alliance called for large-scale protests... to push for negotiations and stoppage of the war. We, in villages and cities which are not affected by the war, must come out in masses to push for negotiations and stoppage of the war," the FFC's spokesman Yassir Arman said.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese police forces carried out widespread campaigns in Khartoum to combat crimes, blocking the roads to prevent criminals and outlaws from committing illegal activities.

"This step comes as part of the plan of the police force's command which aims to impose prestige of the state and the rule of law. The campaign tends to secure markets, important commercial sites and vital facilities," the Sudanese police said.

Fighting between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas erupted on April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict. 

According to UN statistics, thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad.