Sudan is at a critical and historical juncture

In an unprecedented development that poses a serious threat to Sudan's peace and stability, the dispute between the leaderships of the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated in recent days - with both sides mobilizing their military forces.

The sound of heavy gunfire and artillery shelling rocked Khartoum on Sunday as fighting between Sudan’s army and the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces continued for a second day, with neither side claiming victory.

Calls for a cessation of hostilities made by world powers, including the US, UN, the European Union and the African Union went unheeded.

The thud of artillery shells and the screeching noise of rockets could be heard well after nightfall on Saturday, when much of the capital's streets were deserted and engulfed in near total darkness.

Air strikes targeting RSF bases in and outside Khartoum were carried out overnight, according to witnesses. The air force had earlier told residents to stay indoors while its warplanes carried out the attacks.

The fighting forced Khartoum airport to close. Regional airlines, including Egypt Air, Saudia and Emirates, said they were suspending flights.

The fighting in Khartoum is the deadliest in living memory in a city that has seen at least a dozen military coups, some of them violent, since independence in 1956.

The fighting took place as efforts to restore Sudan’s democratic transition, upended by a 2021 military takeover, were deadlocked over disagreements on the integration of the RSF into the armed forces as part of proposed reforms.