At least three people have reportedly died and dozens left injured following clashes between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group in the capital, Khartoum, on Saturday.
The sound of heavy firing could be heard across Khartoum and its sister city Omdurman, where both the military and the RSF have amassed tens of thousands of troops after the government was toppled following a military coup in October 2021.
Residents described chaotic scenes as firing and explosions rang out in densely populated neighbourhoods.
“Fire and explosions are everywhere,” said Amal Mohamed, a doctor in a public hospital in Omdurman.
“Khartoum has become a battlefield,” said Tahani Abass, a prominent Sudanese rights advocate who lives close to the military’s headquarters.
“The situation is very dire, and we don’t know when it will be ended.”
The Sudan Doctors’ Syndicate said two civilians were killed at the airport, without specifying the circumstances.
The committee said in a statement that another man was shot to death in the state of North Kordofan.
Current tensions between the military and the paramilitary stem from a disagreement over how the RSF, headed by Gen Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, should be integrated into the military and what authority should oversee the process.
The merger is a key condition of Sudan‘s unsigned transition agreement with political groups.
John Godfrey, the US ambassador to Sudan, said he and his embassy staff were sheltering in place as heavy firing was heard nearby.
The British embassy has also warned UK nationals to “remain indoors” as it monitors the situation.
Mr Godfrey said the escalation was “extremely dangerous” and called for an end to the violence.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the situation as "fragile", while EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell called on all forces to stop the violence.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates joined calls for forces to exercise restraint and engage in dialogue.
One of the flashpoints was Khartoum International Airport, where clashes grounded commercial Sudan-bound flights from Saudi Arabia turned back after nearly landing at the airport, flight tracking data showed on Saturday.
Saudi Arabia’s national airline said one of its Airbus A330 aircraft was involved in “an accident.” Video showed the plane on fire on the tarmac. Another plane also appeared to have caught fire in the attack.
Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 identified it as a SkyUp Airlines Boeing 737. SkyUp is a Kyiv, Ukraine-based airline.
Meanwhile, the BBC reported that a correspondent for BBC News Arabic in Khartoum, Mohamed Osman, was beaten by a Sudanese soldier.
The broadcaster said the army had stopped Osman’s car while he was en route to his work and that he was taken to army headquarters in Omdurman. While explaining his movements to officers, he was hit in the head from behind by a soldier, the broadcaster said.
