KHARTOUM: Shelling and air strikes pounded parts of Sudan’s capital on Sunday with little sign that warring military factions were ready to back down in a month-long conflict that has killed hundreds despite ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia.

Sudan’s military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan issued a decision to freeze the bank accounts of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group and its affiliated companies, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Khartoum and the adjoining cities of Bahri and Omdurman across the Nile’s two branches have been the main theatre of conflict along with western Darfur province since the army and the RSF paramilitary started fighting on April 15.

Shelling struck Bahri and air strikes hit Omdurman early on Sunday, according to witnesses. “There were heavy air strikes near us in Saliha that shook the doors of the house,” said Salma Yassin, a teacher in Omdurman.

A resident near Khartoum airport, which has been closed since the start of the conflict, said there had been intermittent fighting throughout the day.

On Saturday night, RSF gunmen seeking money attacked a church in Omdurman, injuring five people including a priest, a Coptic Christian activist said. The army also blamed the RSF for the attack.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2023