The attacks took place in Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North, the three cities that make up the greater capital, hours before a ceasefire was supposed to be implemented.
Sudan’s army has carried out airstrikes in the capital Khartoum, hours before a week-long ceasefire aimed at allowing the delivery of aid is due to fallout.
Residents on Monday reported airstrikes in Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North, the three cities that make up the largest capital, separated by the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile.
“The situation is terrible. We are bombarded by planes on every side and from the force of the shaking of the doors of the house, we feel that we are going to die now,” Salma Abdallah, a resident of the Al-Riyadh neighborhood of Khartoum, told Reuters.
Witnesses said the army also carried out airstrikes on Sunday night, targeting vehicles from mobile units of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) – the paramilitary group fighting in army. RSF vehicles operate in residential areas of the capital.
Both sides said they would observe a ceasefire starting at 9:45pm (19:45 GMT).
The ceasefire agreement includes a monitoring mechanism involving the army and the RSF as well as representatives from Saudi Arabia and the United States, which brokered the deal after talks in Jeddah.
Although fighting has continued through previous ceasefires, this is the first ceasefire formally agreed upon following negotiations.
‘Ethnicisation’ of conflict
The agreement raised hopes of a ceasefire in the fighting that erupted on April 15 and has driven nearly 1.1 million people from their homes, including more than 250,000 who have fled to neighboring countries.
The United Nations special envoy to Sudan Volker Perthes warned that the conflict could turn into an ethnic conflict if the warring parties do not respect and extend the ceasefire, which should allow civilians to move and provide access in humanitarian aid.
“This is a good development, even though fighting and troop activities continue even now, despite a commitment by both sides not to maintain military advantage before the start of the ceasefire,” said said Perthe of the UN Security Council in New York.
“In parts of the country, fighting between two armies or two armed formations sharpens communal tensions, or causes conflict between communities,” he said.
Perthe added that “signs of tribal mobilization” were also reported in other parts of the country, particularly in South Kordofan.
“I continue to urge the parties to honor this agreement that they signed two days ago. They must stop the fighting. They must allow access for humanitarian relief, protect humanitarian workers and assets,” he said.
The war broke out in Khartoum after disputes over plans for the RSF to be integrated into the army under an internationally-backed deal to transition Sudan to democracy after decades of conflict-ridden rule by former President Omar al-Bashir, who appointed himself as the country’s leader after a coup in 1989.
