Fears of hundreds of deaths, both soldiers and civilians, are resounding inside and outside Sudan as clashes between rival factions within the army loyal to rival generals have been under way for the second 24 hours.

Early on Easter Sunday, the Sudanese Medical Association reported the deaths of many soldiers, as well as the deaths of 56 civilians and almost 600 wounded. But the death toll is rising sharply thanks to scattered reports of heavy fighting both in the capital, Khartoum, and in Sudan’s second city, Omdurman.

The country’s two warlords spearheaded a movement that toppled the country’s political leadership last year but are now vying for absolute power in the Muslim country amid intense international pressure to return to constitutional legitimacy and political rule.

The fighting is between the country’s main army, commanded by General Burkhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary force commanded by General Daglo, or “Khameti” as he is known, who is also said to have good relations with Moscow.

There were reports of heavy street fighting in the capital on Sunday after repeated attacks from both sides throughout the night, but there is no clear picture of what exactly is going on as the government ordered telecommunications network MTN to shut down the internet in Sudan.

The Sudanese Red Crescent reports that the country’s hospitals are under enormous pressure due to the large number of wounded that have been admitted in recent hours. Recall that on Holy Saturday, two Greeks also suffered from fragments of explosives.

Omdurman alone recorded 29 deaths, 24 of which were civilians, Al Jazeera reports, citing the country’s association of doctors.

In Khartoum, the fighting goes on non-stop, covering most of the city. The army refutes the paramilitaries’ claim that the presidential palace or the broadcasting building was taken over, but state television broadcasts many hours of live broadcasts and constantly broadcasts traditional Sudanese music.

In a later update, the army stated that it had now captured the enclaves controlled by supporters of General Hameti, namely Port Sudan, Kassala, Kandaref, Demazine and Kosti. The military adds that they do not intend to enter into any negotiations until the DTY is dissolved.

For its part, a DTY spokesman said that the Hameti paramilitaries currently control 90% of the capital, while the army only controls the remaining 10%. He added that the paramilitaries also control strategic points in Omdurman and Darfur, as well as the Merowe airport in the north.

As a former Sudan correspondent explained to Al Jazeera’s English-language program on Sunday, DTY has more support in the Darfur region, in the country’s west, where it has played a leading role in the fighting for the past two decades.

However, in most of the country they do not enjoy much popular support, being considered at best a mercenary group and at worst as foreign occupying forces.

According to a former Al Jazeera correspondent, this could even mean further disintegration of Sudan after the independence of South Sudan, when the forces of the VTI could potentially consolidate in Darfur and even declare the independence of the region.

Source: Al Jazeera, CNN.