1,800 injured and over 200 killed in fighting in Sudan: UN

Fighting between the army and paramilitaries in Sudan has killed around 200 people and wounded 1,800, leaving hospitals damaged and medical supplies and food in short supply. Analysts say the fighting is unprecedented and could be prolonged, despite regional and global calls for a ceasefire. Residents of the capital are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan watching from their windows as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake, and smoke from fires hangs in the air. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on the warring parties to "immediately cease hostilities" and warned that further escalation could be devastating for the country and the region. In the western region of Darfur, international medical aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reported receiving 136 wounded patients at the only hospital in El Fasher still operating in North Darfur state.

The majority of the wounded are civilians, including many children, and 11 people died from their injuries in the first 48 hours of the conflict. Three UN World Food Programme staff were also killed in Darfur, where humanitarian missions have had medical and other supplies looted. Diplomatic manoeuvres seemed to ramp up Monday, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan and Djibouti discussing the need to preserve stability and safety. The Gulf emirate Qatar spoke to African Union commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat, who is planning to undertake a ceasefire mission. The fighting broke out after bitter disagreements between Burhan and Daglo over the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.

On Monday, the army resumed broadcasting on state TV. The few grocery stores remaining open warned they will only last a few days if no supplies can enter the city. Sudan has endured decades of multiple civil wars, coups and rebellions since independence, but the level of fighting inside the capital was "unprecedented". The most important idea is that a deadly crackdown has occurred.