CAIRO, April 19. /TASS/. Clashes between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continue in Khartoum and its environs on Wednesday for the fifth day in a row despite the humanitarian ceasefire declared by the sides the day before, the Al Hadath TV channel reported.

According to its information, the fiercest battles are now taking place in the area of the armed forces general staff headquarters building. There are reports about intensive gunshots and a fire in the vicinity of the headquarters. There is also fighting with heavy armored vehicles in neighboring areas. The TV channel also reported a powerful blast in a residential neighborhood of the capital. So far, there is no information about casualties or damage.

A Sudanese armed forces’ spokesman reported during a TV broadcast that, "the army inflicted great damage on the Rapid Support Forces in retaliation for their recent attack on the General Staff of the Armed Forces," destroying the enemy’s military equipment. "We reiterate our calls to the fighters of the Rapid Support Forces to surrender to the closest military units," the Al Hadath TV channel quoted him as saying. The spokesman also blamed the paramilitary units for their non-compliance with the agreements reached on Tuesday night for a 24-hour humanitarian pause, which was to begin at 6 p.m. local time (7 p.m. Moscow time).

The situation in Sudan escalated due to disagreements between Sudanese armed forces commander Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who also heads the Sovereign Council (the country’s governing body), and his deputy on the council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (known as Hemedti), the head of the RSF. On the morning of April 15, clashes broke out between the two groups near a military base in Merowe and in the capital city, Khartoum. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least 270 people have been killed in the conflict, with over 2,600 wounded.