Sudan crisis: Ceasefire extended but fighting continues

Rival factions of Sudan's subject person agreed to renew a three-day ceasefire, soon earlier it was owed to expire.

The hold - for different 72 hours - follows intensive diplomatic efforts by neighbouring countries, arsenic good arsenic the US, UK and UN.

But determination are continuing reports of dense warring successful the superior Khartoum.

The erstwhile truce allowed thousands of radical to effort to fly to safety, portion dozens of countries person tried to evacuate their citizens.

Almost 2 weeks of warring betwixt the service and a rival paramilitary radical person near hundreds dead.

The ceasefire had been expected to extremity astatine midnight section clip (22:00 GMT).

Early connected Thursday evening the Sudanese regular service agreed to an extension, and its rival the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) followed suit hours later.

South Sudan has offered to big bid talks, and the service has agreed to nonstop representatives to the talks.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington was "very actively working" to widen the truce, adding that portion imperfect it had reduced violence.

But White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre aboriginal said the concern could worsen astatine immoderate moment.

Meanwhile the RSF and eyewitnesses said the service had been pounding its positions successful Khartoum.

The overseas curate successful the civilian government, Maryam al-Sadiq al-Mahdi, told the BBC from her location successful Khartoum that contempt the ceasefire, civilians were inactive surviving successful fear.

"What they telephone a truce has thing to bash with what is happening," she told Radio Four's World Tonight programme. "The bombardment by the aeroplanes is taking spot astir each time and night."

Fighting has besides been reported successful the occidental Darfur portion and different provinces.

At slightest 512 radical person been killed successful the warring and astir 4,200 injured, though the existent fig of deaths could beryllium overmuch higher.

The World Health Organization said it expected determination to beryllium "many more" deaths owed to outbreaks of illness and a deficiency of services.

Health officials accidental astir hospitals successful struggle areas are not functioning, and much than 60% of wellness facilities successful Khartoum are inactive.

David Miliband, the caput of the International Rescue Committee and erstwhile British overseas secretary, said the planetary assemblage was successful information of neglecting the wider situation successful Sudan successful the unreserved to evacuate overseas nationals.

"The information that for the past 10 days beauteous overmuch each the media sum and the immense bulk of governmental attraction has been connected getting retired thousands of radical and not connected the request to thin to millions of radical truly sticks successful the gullet," helium told the BBC.

"Of people the lives of the thousands who request to evacuate are important, but what astir the 45 cardinal who are left?

"Sudan's colonisation has 15 cardinal radical successful humanitarian request and I deliberation portion of our telephone contiguous arsenic the International Rescue Committee is to accidental let's not autumn into that trap of reasoning that erstwhile thousands are evacuated the occupation is solved."

An service connection quoted by Reuters caller bureau said it had taken power of astir of Sudan's regions but "the concern is simply a spot analyzable successful immoderate parts of the capital".

It has not been imaginable for the BBC to verify the army's claims.

Foreign nations, including the UK, person been urging their citizens to permission the state arsenic soon arsenic possible.

Speaking connected Thursday evening, Ms Jean-Pierre urged Americans to depart wrong the adjacent 24 hours.

Evacuations are continuing, but galore foreigners are inactive stuck successful Sudan. Some person struggled to get to the airstrip utilized for evacuations.

Local civilians are continuing to fly the capital, wherever determination are problems with supplies of food, h2o and fuel.

The warring broke retired connected 15 April arsenic the effect of a bitter powerfulness conflict betwixt the regular service and RSF.

Army commandant Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF main Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, amended known arsenic Hemedti, disagree astir the country's projected determination to civilian rule, and successful peculiar astir the timeframe of the 100,000 beardown RSF's inclusion into the army.

Both factions fearfulness losing powerfulness successful Sudan due to the fact that connected some sides determination are men who could extremity up astatine the International Criminal Court for warfare crimes committed successful Darfur astir 20 years ago.