UN warns of Sudan being on brink of full-scale civil war

The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres made the remarks on Sunday through a statement by his spokesperson, Farhan Haq, and just a day after an airstrike on a residential area in the city of Omdurman killed around two dozen civilians.

Guterres "remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region," Haq added.

The statement came after Sudan’s Health Ministry reported that 22 civilians were killed and a large number of others wounded from a Saturday airstrike on the capital Khartoum's sister city, Omdurman.

A video posted by the ministry showed apparently dismembered bodies lying partly covered on the ground after the airstrike. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting the country’s army, claimed that the airstrike was carried out by the army and killed 31.

The Sudanese army, for its part, released a statement, denying the RSF’s claim and "clarifying that the air force did not deal with any hostile targets in Omdurman yesterday."

Witnesses reported more airstrikes on Sunday near the presidential palace in Khartoum and in Omdurman, as well as machine-gun clashes and artillery fire in the city's south.

The fighting in Sudan began in mid-April over a power struggle between the two generals.

According to the latest figures, around 3,000 people have been killed in the conflict.