Death toll rises to 97 as fighting rages in Sudan

KHARTOUM - Clashes in Sudan's capital Khartoum raged for a third day, raising the death toll to 97, said a Sudanese doctors' union in a statement early Monday.

Hundreds of civilians were wounded in the violence, the statement added.

The tense situation in Sudan has sparked broad concerns in the international community, with the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League and other international organizations having called for an immediate ceasefire.

Violent clashes erupted on Saturday between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and other cities, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

The tension between the two military forces has escalated since Wednesday in the Merowe region in northern Sudan, after the RSF moved military vehicles to a location near the military air base there, a move that the army considered illegal.

Deep differences have emerged between the Sudanese army and the RSF, particularly regarding the latter's integration into the army as stipulated in a framework agreement signed between military and civilian leaders on Dec 5, 2022.