Fighting intensifies between rival forces in Sudan

(Patria) - Clashes between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) intensified on Sunday, as the war in the country's capital and western regions entered its 12th week.

Airstrikes and artillery fire, as well as small arms fire, could be heard, particularly in the city of Omdurman, as well as in the capital Khartoum, as the conflict deepens the humanitarian crisis and threatens to draw in other regional interests, Reuters reports.

The RSF said it shot down a military aircraft and a drone in Bahri, in statements to which the army did not immediately respond. The RSF has dominated the capital on the ground and has been accused of looting and seizing homes, while the army has focused on airstrikes and artillery attacks. Army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan last week called on young men to join the fight against the RSF, and on Sunday the army released photos it said were of new recruits.

The Sudanese Doctors' Union accused the RSF on Saturday of raiding Shuhada Hospital, one of the few still operating in the country, and killing a staff member. The RSF rejected the accusations. The war has also hit cities in the western regions of Kordofan and Darfur, especially the westernmost city of El Geneina, where the RSF and Arab militias have been accused of ethnic cleansing.

The Unit for Combating Violence against Women, a government agency, said on Saturday it had recorded 88 cases of sexual assault, which it says is only a fraction of the likely actual total, in Khartoum, El Geneina and Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, with victims in most cases accusing the RSF.

Talks held in Jeddah and sponsored by the United States and Saudi Arabia were suspended last month, while a mediation attempt by East African countries was criticized by the army for accusing Kenya of bias. Last week, army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy on the country's Sovereign Council, Malik Agar, expressed openness to any mediation attempts by Turkey or Russia, although no official efforts have been announced.