To quell the violence that erupted on Saturday and is now on its second day, world leaders have contacted the army and paramilitary leaders of Sudan. Three employees of the UN World Food Programme were among the 61 people slain in the clashes.
Crisis mediation is underway in Sudan to deescalate armed conflict after 61 deaths and almost 600 wounded.
Armed troops and the paramilitary Rapid Support troops (RSF) battled in Khartoum and elsewhere on Saturday, causing violence.
Three employees of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) were among those slain in clashes in Darfur.
A WFP official reported two more worker injuries and a humanitarian plane damage.
“There is no justification for targeting humanitarian workers,” a spokeswoman said, suspending the programme for security assessment.
Between army chief and de facto president Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF chief Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, tensions had been rising.
Both leaders have called each other to stop the bloodshed.
Egypt and South Sudan have offered to serve as mediators between the army and paramilitary organizations.
Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda have also spoken with General al-Burhan via telephone.
Anthony Blinken, the secretary of state of the United States, has consulted with his Saudi Arabian and Emirati counterparts and shared their agreement that “all parties need to end hostilities immediately.”
The two factions continued their struggle for power on Sunday, signaling their unwillingness to halt hostilities despite mounting diplomatic pressure.
In Khartoum, Omdurman, and other flashpoints, armoured vehicles, truck-mounted machine guns, and jets fought Sunday.
Fighting near the military headquarters, Khartoum International Airport, and state television headquarters halted transmission.
According to a senior military official, RSF fighters clashed with soldiers at the military headquarters early Sunday morning, and a fire broke out at a facility for ground troops.
In a statement released by the United Nations on Sunday, General al-Burhan and Hemedti agreed to a proposal for a three-hour cessation of hostilities to enable the safe passage of humanitarian cases. On Saturday night, both sides made it clear that they were unwilling to negotiate.
Hemedti told Al Arabiya that he would not negotiate and demanded the army commander surrender.
The military demanded the disbanding of the RSF, designating it a “rebellious militia.”
