The crisis in Sudan, according to the UN chief, might "engulf the entire region."

Antonio Guterres warned that the violence between warring parties in Sudan could engulf the region and beyond, calling for a ceasefire. Britain has requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sudan, which is expected to take place on Tuesday. The United States and multiple European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian nations have launched emergency missions to bring to safety their embassy staff and Sudan-based citizens by road, air and sea. At least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 wounded, according to UN agencies. US special forces swooped in with Chinook helicopters Sunday to rescue diplomats and their dependents, while Britain launched a similar rescue mission.

The European Union has evacuated more than 1,000 EU citizens during a "long and intense weekend" involving airlift missions by France, Germany and others. China has evacuated a first group of citizens and will try to protect the lives, properties and safety of 1,500 plus Chinese compatriots in Sudan. The capital, a city of five million, has endured "more than a week of destruction", with some Sudanese fleeing on crowded buses to Egypt. The United States and multiple European, Middle Eastern, African and Asian nations have launched emergency missions to bring to safety their embassy staff and Sudan-based citizens by road, air and sea. At least 427 people have been killed and more than 3,700 wounded, according to UN agencies.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the violence in Sudan could engulf the whole region and beyond. The UN has requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council on Sudan, which is expected to take place on Tuesday. A UN convoy carrying 700 people completed an arduous 850 kilometre road trip from the capital, where gunfire and explosions have echoed through the streets. US special forces swooped in with Chinook helicopters to rescue diplomats and their dependents, while Britain launched a similar rescue mission. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said more than 1,000 EU citizens had been taken out during a "long and intense weekend" involving airlift missions by France, Germany and others.

China has safely evacuated a first group of citizens and will try every means to protect the lives, properties and safety of 1,500 plus Chinese compatriots in Sudan. Prices of essential items have skyrocketed in Khartoum, a city of five million people. Norway's ambassador Endre Stiansen, who was evacuated, expressed "immense sadness" for colleagues and friends left behind. He feared for their future, as weapons and narrow interests carry more weight than values and words. Some 800,000 South Sudanese refugees are chosing to return, with women and children crossing the border.

Across the capital city, army and paramilitary troops have fought ferocious street battles, with the sky often blackened by smoke from shelled buildings and torched shops. The fighting pits forces loyal to army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those of his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.