Fighting has escalated in Sudan's capital, Khartoum, with the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claiming it has gained full control of the main base of a heavily armed police unit in the south of the capital.
The paramilitary group says it has captured 160 pickup trucks, 75 armoured personnel carriers and 27 tanks belonging to the Central Reserve Police.
Reuters news agency reports it has seen footage that showed fighters moving ammunition boxes from a warehouse and fighters celebrating but could not immediately verify the footage.
Surging conflict
Sudan’s security forces are yet to comment on this latest development.
Three cities that make up the wider capital - Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman -have seen increased fighting since Saturday as the conflict between the army and the RSF entered its 11th week.
Locals have also reported a sharp increase in violence in Nyala, the largest city in the western Darfur region, echoed by an alarm from the U.N. over ethnic targeting and the killing of people in West Darfur.
The latest surge in fighting follows a series of failed ceasefire deals led by the United States and Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.
Civilians in crossfire
"In north Omdurman, we've had air strikes, artillery bombardment, plus RSF anti-aircraft fire," 47-year-old Mohamed al-Samani, a resident, told Reuters.
U.N. Human Rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani called for safe passage for people fleeing El Geneina and access for aid workers following reports of summary executions between the city and the border on Saturday.
Nearly 2 million people are now internally displaced in Sudan, and almost 600,000 have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration.
