Sudan army rules out talks as Türkiye, UN, Arab nations call for Eid truce

Fighting between two rival generals has shown no signs of abating ahead of festivities marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, with Sudan's military chief refusing to hold talks with his opponent but saying he is open for mediation.

Sudan's army chief General Abdel Fattah al Burhan received separate phone calls on Thursday from Turkish President Erdogan, Saudi and Qatari foreign ministers, Egyptian intelligence chief and the US, an army statement reported, calling for a temporary ceasefire. 

The calls come amid efforts to get both the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [RSF] to agree to a three-day ceasefire on Eid al Fitr that starts on Friday as explosions and gunfire resounded in Sudan's capital for the sixth straight night.

All parties, including calls from the UN secretary general and South Sudan and Ethiopia leaders, affirmed the necessity to stop the violence and resort to dialogue.

More than 300 people have been killed since the fighting erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan's army chief and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who commands the paramilitary RSF.

Some of the fiercest fightings has been in the capital of Khartoum, a city of five million people, most of whom have been sheltering at home without electricity, food or water.

As battles raged, Burhan dismissed any prospects for negotiations with Dagalo, telling Al Jazeera television that he saw no option but "decisive military" action.

"I do not think there is any room for talks over politics again with the Rapid Support Forces," he told the Qatar-based broadcaster, while adding that he was open to mediation.

After two ceasefires failed to take hold in two days, gunfire continued into Thursday night, with columns of black smoke rising from buildings around Khartoum International Airport and the army headquarters.

Beyond Khartoum, witnesses reported loud explosions in the city of Obeid, in the central state of North Kordofan.

Ahmed al Mandhari of the World Health Organization said on Thursday that "almost 330 people have died and almost 3,200 more" had been wounded in Khartoum, the western Darfur region and other states.

READ MORE: UN chief calls for Sudan ceasefire over Eid al Fitr

Roots of the conflict

The fighting has taken a heavy toll on civilians, with the UN children's agency UNICEF saying "at least nine children have reportedly been killed".

The World Food Programme [WFP] warned that the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people — one-third of the population — already face food insecurity.

It has suspended its Sudan operations after the killing of three WFP workers on Saturday.

Burhan and Dagalo's bitter dispute centred around the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army, a key condition for a final deal aimed at restoring Sudan's democratic transition.

Both generals toppled long-time ruler Omar al Bashir together in April 2019 following massive protests against three decades of the iron-fisted rule.

In October 2021, they again worked together to oust the civilian government installed after Bashir's downfall, derailing an internationally backed transition to democracy.

Burhan, whose career advanced under Bashir, has maintained that his coup was "necessary" to bring more factions into politics.

But Dagalo, who rose to prominence during Bashir's operation against Darfur rebels, has since called the coup a "mistake" that failed to bring change and instead invigorated Bashir diehards.

READ MORE: Sudan's rival generals refuse to negotiate, vow to continue fighting