<span style="color: #222222;">Sudan's army appeared to gain the upper hand on Sunday in a bloody power struggle with rival paramilitary forces, pounding their bases with air strikes, witnesses said, and at least 59 civilians were killed including three U.N. workers.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The fighting erupted on Saturday between army units loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is deputy head of the council.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">It was the first such outbreak since both joined forces to oust veteran Islamist autocrat Omar Hassan al-Bashir in 2019 and was sparked by a disagreement over the integration of the RSF into the military as part of a transition towards civilian rule.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Burhan and Hemedti agreed on a three-hour pause in fighting to allow humanitarian evacuations proposed by the United Nations, the U.N. mission in Sudan said, but the deal was widely ignored after a brief period of relative calm.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The United States, China, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the U.N. Security Council, European Union and African Union have appealed for a quick end to the hostilities that threaten to worsen instability in an already volatile wider region.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Efforts by neighbours and regional bodies to end the violence intensified on Sunday. Egypt offered to mediate, and regional African bloc Intergovernmental Authority on Development plans to send the presidents of Kenya, South Sudan and Djibouti as soon as possible to reconcile Sudanese groups in conflict, Kenyan President William Ruto's office said on Twitter.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The eruption of fighting over the weekend followed rising tensions over the RSF's integration into the military. Discord over the timetable for that has delayed the signing of an internationally-backed agreement with political parties on a transition to democracy after a 2021 military coup.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">A statement by the army said there were ongoing clashes in the vicinity of military headquarters in central Khartoum, and said that RSF soldiers were stationing snipers on buildings, but that they were "monitored and being dealt with."</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Earlier on Sunday, witnesses and residents said that the army had carried out air strikes on RSF barracks and bases in the Khartoum region and managed to destroy most of the paramilitaries' facilities.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">They said the army had also wrested back control over much of Khartoum's presidential palace from the RSF after both sides claimed to control it and other key installations in Khartoum, where heavy artillery and gun battles raged into Sunday.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">A protracted confrontation could plunge Sudan into widespread conflict as it struggles with economic breakdown and tribal violence, derailing efforts to move toward elections.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Energy-rich powers Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have sought to shape events in Sudan, seeing the transition away from toppled strongman Bashir's rule as a way to roll back Islamist influence and improve stability in the region.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors reported at least 56 civilians had been killed and 595 people including combatants had been wounded since the fighting erupted.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Scores of military personnel were killed, the doctors' committee said, without giving a specific number due to a lack of first-hand information from hospitals.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">The U.N. World Food Programme said it had temporarily halted all operations in hunger-stricken areas of Sudan after three Sudanese employees were killed during fighting in North Darfur and a WFP plane was hit during a gun battle at Khartoum airport.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killings and called for accountability.</span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;"> </span><br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Meanwhile, The External Affairs Ministry has set up a Control Room to assist Indian citizens in Sudan in view of the current situation in the country. Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a tweet that the Control Room will provide information and assistance. The 24×7 toll-free helpline numbers are 1800 11 8797, 91-11-23012113, 91-11-23014104, and 91-11-23017905. The email is </span><a href="mailto:situationroom@mea.gov.in" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">situationroom@mea.gov.in</span></a><span style="color: #222222;">.</span><br />