The power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has escalated into deadly violence, with battles taking place throughout the country, including air strikes, artillery, heavy gunfire, and increasing lawlessness.

This violence has caused chaos, with reports of the US diplomatic convoy being fired upon, and the EU ambassador to Sudan attacked at home. Aid groups have reported looting of medical and other supplies, and residents of the capital who are spending the last and holiest days of Ramadan are now living in fear as tanks roll through the streets, buildings shake, and smoke hangs in the air from fires triggered by the fighting.

The situation in Sudan is dire, with residents struggling to get reliable information and misinformation proliferating on social media, confusing civilians anxious for accurate news about attacks, reported looting, and the safety of movement. The death toll is already at least 185 people killed and more than 1,800 injured, according to the UN, and the true number is thought to be far higher.

As the few grocery stores that remain open are unable to replenish dwindling food stocks, civilians are running out of food, and with many wounded unable to reach hospitals, which are themselves under shelling, the humanitarian crisis is becoming more severe. Across the country, 16 hospitals are “out of service”, while those still operating face “severe shortages”, including of medical staff, water, and food supplies.

The Red Cross and the World Health Organization have stressed the need for humanitarian aid corridors, but aid work has been suspended, with thousands of volunteers ready to perform humanitarian services but unable to move due to the fighting.