Sudan turmoil live: 39 hospitals bombed out of service

The Arab League held an emergency meeting on Sunday at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

"The successive and dangerous developments in Sudan necessitate holding this meeting for consultation and coordination among the Arab countries to defuse the current crisis, and work to restore stability to Sudan as soon as possible," Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Ahmed Abu Zeid in a statement on Saturday.

"We pray for mercy for the innocent lives taken by this reckless adventure taken by the rebel Rapid Support militia... We will have good news for our patient and proud people soon, God willing," the statement said.

Middle East Eye could not independently verify the claims.

Egypt has called on the parties fighting in Sudan to ensure the safety of all Egyptian interests there, the Egyptian representative in the Arab League told a meeting called to discuss developments in Sudan.

"The Arab republic of Egypt stresses the extreme importance of ensuring the safety and security of all Egyptian interests in Sudan," the head of the Egyptian delegation in the meeting said.

Fighting between the army and paramilitaries has spread in the restive western region of Darfur as violence grips Sudan for a second day.

At least 56 people have been killed, including 12 in the North Darfur region according to Adam Regal, a spokesperson for the General Coordination for Refugees and Displaced in Darfur, an aid agency. 

Clashes have been reported in South Darfur, North Darfur and Central Darfur, forcing dozens of civilians to flee. 

On Saturday evening, the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors made an urgent call for doctors and medical staff to the affected areas in Darfur. 

"We request all those who are able to respond to the call immediately to the mentioned hospitals due to the large number of injured and critical conditions that require urgent surgical intervention," the committee said in a statement. 

Sudan's MTN telecommunications company has blocked internet services in the country on the orders of the government telecommunications regulator, two officials from the company told Reuters on Sunday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said early on Sunday that he consulted the ‍foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates ‍on the clashes in Sudan.

They agreed it was essential for the involved parties to immediately end hostilities without any preconditions, Blinken said in a statement.

At least 56 civilians have been killed and 595 others injured in ongoing clashes across Sudan, the Sudanese Doctors Committee said early on Sunday, a day after fighting broke out between Sudan's military and a government paramilitary force.

The Sudanese army launched air strikes at a base belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in the city of Omdurman, eyewitnesses told Reuters late on Saturday.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Saturday for an immediate end to violence in Sudan, his spokesperson said on Twitter.

Clashes between the military and the country's paramilitary force killed at least 25 people.

Guterres spoke with leaders of Sudan's army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Egypt's president and the chair of the African Union Commission, the spokesperson said.

At least 25 people have been killed and 183 others injured in ongoing clashes across Sudan, the Sudanese Doctors' Union told Reuters on Saturday.

The group was unable to determine if all the casualties were civilians.

Two people were killed at Khartoum airport, four in neighbouring Omdurman, eight in the city of Nyala, six in the city of El Obeid and five in El Fasher, the source added.

Sudanese air force called on citizens on Saturday to stay indoors as they conduct a full aerial survey of areas of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) activity, a statement on the armed forces' Facebook page said.

One eyewitness told Reuters late on Saturday they could hear sounds of explosions in the vicinity of the airport in central Khartoum.

Sudan’s armed forces on Saturday dismissed any possibility of negotiations or dialogue with the country's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

There will be “no negotiations or dialogue until the dissolution of the paramilitary RSF”, the armed forces said on its Facebook page.

Elements of RSF and the armed forces exchanged gunfire in Khartoum and elsewhere in the country on Saturday in an apparent struggle for control.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States held a phone call on Saturday to discuss the ongoing situation in Sudan, Saudi's state news agency said.

The ministers called for a halt to military escalation and a return to a framework agreement between civilian political forces and the military in Sudan, the agency added.

Egypt's military is closely following the situation in Sudan and is coordinating with the relevant Sudanese authorities to guarantee the safety of Egyptian forces, army spokesman Colonel Gharib Abdel Hafez said on Saturday.

His statement came as Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shared a video that they said showed Egyptian troops who had "surrendered" to them in Merowe, northern Sudan, in the wake of clashes between the group and the Sudanese army.

A passenger plane preparing to take off from Sudan for Saudi Arabia came under fire on Saturday as deadly fighting rocked Khartoum, the kingdom's flag carrier said.

The Airbus A330 bound for Saudi Arabia "was exposed to gunfire damage… with guests and crew on board" ahead of its scheduled departure to Riyadh, Saudia said in a statement.

"It has been confirmed that all members of the aircraft's cabin crew have safely arrived at the Saudi embassy in Sudan," the statement said.

"Meanwhile aircraft flying over Sudan have returned and all other flights to and from Sudan have been suspended in order to preserve the safety of the guests and crew."