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The death toll from the conflict in Sudan between the army and its rival, the Rapid Support Force (RSF), have reportedly exceeded 330 people, with almost 3,200 others wounded.
Ahmed Al-Mandhari of the World Health Organization said on April 20 that the casualties were distributed between the capital of Khartoum, which witnessed some of the heaviest clashes since the start of the conflict on April 15, as well as the western region of Darfur and other provinces.
A temporary ceasefire between the army and the RSF, which was reportedly reached after pressure from the United States, collapsed a few hours after it came into effect on April 19.
Clashes were reported in several districts of Khartoum, where the army had moved to block the arrival of RSF reinforcements. Some of the most intense fighting has been focused around the army headquarters and the residence of the Commander-in-Chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.
The RSF, which is led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, released a statement about the breakdown in the ceasefire, saying it came under attack in Omdurman and inflicted losses on the army in response, including shooting down two helicopters.
Despite the ever-increasing tensions in Sudan, the United Arab Emirates brokered on April 20 a deal that helped evacuate 177 Egyptian Air Force troops, who were held in the northern Sudanese town of Merowe by the RSF in the first day of the conflict, back to Egypt.
The Sudanese army said in a statement the Egyptians were evacuated from the northern town Dongola via four Egyptian military planes. According to the army, the Egyptians were in Sudan to participate in joint air force exercises.
Both al-Burhan and Dagalo have been ruling Sudan as the president and vice-president of the Sovereign Council since a coup in October 2021.
The deadly conflict between the two sides stem from a disagreement over how the RSF should be integrated into the army and what authority should oversee the process during transition to civilian-led rule in the country. The process was set to begin this year.
All in all, it appears that neither al-Burhan or Dagalo are willing to compromise at the time being. The power struggle between the two leaders could push Sudan towards a civil war.
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