Sudanese Forces Clash in Khartoum 

Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters)
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Sudanese Forces Clash in Khartoum 

Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises above buildings after an aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, May 1, 2023. (Reuters)

Sudan's warring parties clashed in the capital overnight and into Friday morning after talks aimed at maintaining a ceasefire and alleviating a humanitarian crisis collapsed, prompting the US to issue sanctions.

Residents of Khartoum and adjoining Omdurman said the army had resumed air strikes and was using more artillery as the clashes continued, but with no sign that its paramilitary enemy was retreating from city streets and homes it has occupied.

"We are suffering so much from this war. Since this morning there have been sounds of violence. We're living in terror. It is a real nightmare," said Shehab al-Din Abdalrahman, 31, in a southern district of the capital.

Seven weeks of warfare between the army and Rapid Support Forces have smashed up parts of central Khartoum, threatened to destabilize the wider region, displaced 1.2 million people inside Sudan and sent another 400,000 into neighboring states.

The US and Saudi Arabia on Thursday suspended truce talks after a ceasefire they had mediated fell apart, accusing the sides of occupying homes, businesses and hospitals, carrying out air strikes and attacks and executing banned military movements.

Washington imposed sanctions on businesses belonging to the army and RSF and threatened further action "if the parties continue to destroy their country", according to a senior US official.

Sudan's ambassador to Washington, Mohamed Abdallah Idris, said the government and army remained fully committed to the truce pact and any penalties should be "imposed on the party that did not abide by what it signed" - a reference to the RSF.

The two sides have blamed each other for truce violations.

Since the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019 Sudan's government has been headed by a sovereign council under army chief Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan with the RSF head Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, as his deputy.

After they went to war on April 15 Burhan said he had dismissed Hemdti from the council, and government departments have remained aligned with the army.

Aid supplies looted

Outside Khartoum, the worst fighting has been in the Darfur region, where a civil war has simmered since 2003, killing around 300,000 people.

More than 100,000 people have fled militia attacks in West Darfur to neighboring Chad since the latest fighting began, and the numbers could double in the next three months, the UN refugee agency said on Thursday.

Truce efforts had been aimed at delivering humanitarian aid to civilians caught in a war that has brought deadly shellfire and shooting, disabled power and water networks, ruined hospitals and hampered food supplies in an already hungry nation.

The UN's World Food Program and its refugee agency UNHCR said continued looting was disrupting their efforts to help Sudanese, calling on all parties to respect humanitarian work.

The WFP said it had recorded losses of more than $60 million since the fighting began. The UNHCR said two of its offices in Khartoum were pillaged and its warehouse in El Obeid was targeted on Thursday.

With the ceasefire talks off, Khartoum residents are bracing for further problems.

"Since yesterday one telecom network has been down. Today another one is down. The power is out but the water has come back. It's like they're alternating forms of torture," said Omer Ibrahim, who lives in a district of Omdurman that has seen little fighting.



Yemen’s Humanitarian Lifeline on the Brink, IRC Warns

Aid agencies face increasing requests for assistance in the camps of displaced Yemenis (UN)
Aid agencies face increasing requests for assistance in the camps of displaced Yemenis (UN)
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Yemen’s Humanitarian Lifeline on the Brink, IRC Warns

Aid agencies face increasing requests for assistance in the camps of displaced Yemenis (UN)
Aid agencies face increasing requests for assistance in the camps of displaced Yemenis (UN)

As Yemen marks ten years of conflict and crisis ignited by the Houthis, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) warned that the country will face unprecedented challenges this year with expected reductions in US contributions, which accounted for more than half of total humanitarian funding to Yemen in 2024.

The Committee said the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) seeks $2.47 billion to reach 10.5 million people—but as of March 2025, it is just 5% funded.

In 2024, the response received just over half of what was required, forcing aid agencies to scale back essential support such as food distributions and limit access to clean water and other services.

Therefore, IRC warned that expected reductions in US contributions, which accounted for more than half of total humanitarian funding to Yemen in 2024, threaten to widen this gap even further, placing millions at greater risk of hunger, disease, and further displacement.

The Committee also cautioned that a widening chasm between rising humanitarian needs and the funding required to alleviate them, risks leaving millions of Yemenis without access to food, healthcare and protection services.

In 2025, it said, an estimated 19.5 million people will need humanitarian assistance and protection—an increase of nearly 7% compared to 2024. Across the country, more than 83% of the population now lives in poverty.

More than 4.5 million people are now internally displaced with most displaced multiple times over the past decade. IRC teams said they are witnessing rising demand in displacement sites, where families face limited access to food, healthcare and clean water.

“These figures reflect the compounding toll of a crisis that has deepened year after year, leaving families with fewer resources, fewer services and no safe alternatives,” the Committee warned.

For families who have endured years of displacement and insecurity, humanitarian aid has been critical to survival.

“I remember the first time I heard the sounds of war. I felt a fear I had never known before. We lost our home, our livelihood, and most importantly, our sense of security. Living in this camp is a daily struggle with no privacy or safety,” said Abdulnasser Abdullah, a displaced father living in Al Qataysh camp.

He added: “But the healthcare assistance we have received has made a real difference—especially since we can’t afford basic medication or even a simple meal.”

Caroline Sekyewa, IRC’s Country Director in Yemen, said that for ten years, Yemenis have endured relentless conflict, economic collapse, and limited access to lifesaving health and nutrition services.

“Humanitarian aid has been their lifeline-preventing disease outbreaks, delivering healthcare, responding to natural disasters, and helping families to survive,” she said.

For donor governments to consider reducing or removing that support is not just short-sighted, it puts millions of lives at risk, the aid director affirmed.

“Yemen now stands on a precipice and without urgent support, we risk reversing years of hard-fought gains. Ultimately, humanitarian aid on its own cannot end the suffering being felt by millions in Yemen,” she said.

Sekyewa then revealed that last year, humanitarian organizations, in spite of a huge funding shortfall, reached more than 8 million people in need across the country.

“2025 must be a turning point in this crisis. With needs steadily increasing, we call upon all donors to step up and ensure that this year’s humanitarian needs and response plan is fully funded,” she affirmed.