Airstrikes and heavy shelling in Khartoum, tens of thousands of people fleeing the war: Sudan is “collapsing,” alarmed the UN chief as the fighting entered its third week.

Since the outbreak of a bloody power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and his number two, Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, known as “Hemedti” on April 15, the country has been thrown into chaos by the dreaded Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The fighting left at least 528 dead and 4,599 wounded, according to the Health Ministry, a number that is still grossly underestimated given that the bodies lying on the streets are inaccessible and therefore impossible to identify.

Tens of thousands of Sudanese, but also foreigners or refugees settled in Sudan, have fled to Egypt, Ethiopia, Chad or South Sudan, while several foreign capitals continue to evacuate hundreds of their nationals.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking through the Al-Arabiya channel, lamented that “the war for power continues while the country collapses”.

Each camp blames itself for violating the ceasefire, which was extended through international mediation until midnight (22:00 GMT) on Sunday.

Civilians try to flee or survive barricaded without electricity, water or food.

“There are clashes with heavy weapons and machine guns,” a Khartoum resident told AFP, while another witness reported “explosions and gunfire” elsewhere in the capital.

According to the doctors’ union, about 70% of hospitals in combat zones are out of order.

– “Nightmare” –

On Friday, the generals at war were torn apart by the media.

On the Al-Hurrah channel, Burhane described the FSR as “a militia trying to destroy Sudan” with the help of “mercenaries from Chad, the Central African Republic and Niger”.

“Hemedti” spoke on the BBC of his rival as a “traitor” who was “unreliable”.

However, the two generals had joined forces during the 2021 coup to oust the civilians they had shared power with since the ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir two years earlier. But then differences arose which, due to the lack of agreement on the incorporation of the FSR into the army, degenerated into open war on April 15.

For the UN envoy to Sudan, Volker Perthes, while tensions were palpable, there was “no sign” that fighting would break out on April 15 because, he told Al-Jazeera, the two rival generals were at odds would meet that day to discuss.

If the guns haven’t gone silent since then, Salva Kiir, the president of South Sudan — historical mediator in Sudan — called on the two generals on Saturday for “a constructive and concrete dialogue face-to-face.”

He also urged them “not to try to strengthen positions”, while many observers believe there was no truce because the two belligerents do not want to give the other a chance to advance or provide reinforcements.

“God forbid us, if Sudan were to reach the stage of civil war (…) it would be a nightmare for the world,” warned former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok in Nairobi on Saturday.

According to the United Nations, 75,000 people have been displaced by fighting, particularly violent in Darfur, a region torn apart by war in the 2000s.

If the ceasefire does not end the fighting, the evacuation corridors can remain open. A convoy organized by the United States thus enabled the evacuation of American nationals and other countries to Port Sudan (east). From there, a new boat arrived in Saudi Arabia carrying around 1,900 evacuees, which has taken in nearly 5,000 Saudi nationals and foreigners so far.

Among them Merhdad Malekzadh, one of the first Iranians to be evacuated on Saturday, described the daily bombing and explosions in Khartoum to AFP. “We never thought the situation would get so tense.”

– “Society is collapsing” –

The UK said Saturday it had evacuated nearly 1,900 people from Sudan since Tuesday. Anyone who could benefit from an evacuation had to reach an air force base by Saturday morning to board the final flights.

“The window of opportunity is closing,” Canada regretted, saying it will continue to “evaluate various options, including by land and sea.”

The UN estimates that millions more could starve to death if a third of the 45 million Sudanese in the country, which is among the poorest in the world, are already suffering.

Looting, demolitions and fires are increasing in west Darfur, including in camps for displaced people, Médecins sans frontières (MSF) reports. The NGO had to “stop almost all (its) activities there”.

According to the United Nations, a hundred people have been killed in fighting that has devastated the capital El Geneina in recent days.

“Society is collapsing, we see tribes trying to arm themselves now,” Antonio Guterres lamented.