As fighting between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary force rages on, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday that the security and protection of Pakistani citizens in the chaos-stricken country was his government’s top priority.

“The government is closely watching the situation in Sudan and consistently monitoring the steps taken for the protection and security of Pakistani citizens,” he said in a statement, adding that the government was in touch with friendly countries and the United Nations for ensuring the security of Pakistanis and their early evacuation.

The premier’s statement comes against the backdrop of warring forces in Sudan remaining engaged in a battle — with heavy gunfire and explosions being reported in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country — and ignoring appeals by world powers for an end-of-Ramazan ceasefire.

More than 300 people have been killed and thousands wounded since the fighting erupted Saturday between forces loyal to Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the commander of the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) who is commonly known as Hemeti.

PM Shehbaz said in his statement today that Pakistan’s embassy in Sudan was in constant touch with the 1,500 Pakistani citizens living there and was providing them with all possible facilities.

The embassy in Sudan had also formed a WhatsApp group to remain in touch with Pakistanis who were advised to stay at home, he said.

The premier added that Pakistani authorities were facing difficulties in the evacuation of Pakistani citizens from Sudan as “roads leading to airports are not safe”.

PM Shehbaz said he “believes that Sudanese authorities will take steps to ensure the safety of Pakistanis”.

The statement added that on the premier’s instructions, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan had met Sudan’s ambassador in Pakistan and held a meeting with Pakistan’s missions in Khartoum to discuss the ongoing situation.

Earlier, the Foreign Office (FO) also shared this update, saying that Khan had held an online meeting with Pakistan’s missions in Khartoum and surrounding countries.

“The government is working with partner countries to ensure the safety and security of Pakistanis in Sudan, including the option of evacuation,” the FO statement said.

Khan also met Sudan Ambassador Salih Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Siddig to convey concern about the deteriorating situation in his country, it added.

The foreign secretary expressed hope that the Sudanese authorities would take all measures to ensure the safety and security of Pakistanis in the country.

‘Bombing, shelling, clashes’

Meanwhile, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said that overnight, as the Eidul Fitr celebrations marking the end of Ramazan began, “several areas of Khartoum were bombed” and reported “shelling and clashes” for the sixth straight night.

Khartoum has seen some of the fiercest fighting with air strikes and tanks firing in densely packed districts, with most of its five million people sheltering at home in baking heat without electricity, food or water. Communications are heavily disrupted.

Both UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and US State Secretary Antony Blinken called separately for a ceasefire of “at least” three days to mark Eid, as explosions and gunfire resounded in Khartoum.

The RSF, a powerful force formed from members of the Janjaweed militia that led years of extreme violence in the western Darfur region, said they would commit to a 72-hour ceasefire starting at dawn (4am GMT).

But, like two previously declared 24-hour ceasefires, it failed to take hold.

The crackle of intense gunfire continued Friday morning, with columns of black smoke rising across the capital.

‘Nightmare scenario’

On Thursday, dozens of Burhan loyalists protested in Port Sudan against the presence of the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates, which has been accused of links to Daglo.

“No to the foreign interference in the country’s affairs,” read a banner they carried.

Analysts have warned of countries across the region being dragged into the conflict.

For the first time since hostilities began a week ago, Burhan appeared on television.

“For Eid this year, our country is bleeding: destruction, desolation and the sound of bullets have taken precedence over joy,” he said in a pre-recorded video, which showed him sitting behind a desk in military uniform.

“We hope that we will come out of this ordeal more united … a single army, a single people … towards a civilian power.”

The International Crisis Group (IGC) warned urgent steps were needed to stop a descent into “full-blown civil war”, warning “the nightmare scenario that many feared in Sudan is unfolding”.

The World Food Programme warned the violence could plunge millions more into hunger in a country where 15 million people — one-third of the population — need aid.

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

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

‘They don’t care’

Civilians are becoming increasingly desperate with thousands risking the dangerous streets to flee Khartoum, with many reporting streets strewn with corpses.

“This is a mere power struggle,” said Abdul Wahid Othman, a 53-year-old in Khartoum. “They don’t care about poor citizens who have been left without water, electricity … and water.”

International efforts are being planned for the potential evacuation of citizens, including the United States deploying forces for the possible airlift of US embassy staff.

Medics have warned of a catastrophe, with over two-thirds of hospitals in Khartoum and neighbouring states rendered “out of service” by the fighting, the doctors’ union said. Four hospitals in Obeid in North Kordofan state had also been “shelled”.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said it had reports of almost 330 people killed and 3,200 wounded across Sudan, but medics fear the death toll is likely to be far higher, with many wounded unable to reach hospitals.

Burhan and Daglo toppled autocratic president Omar al-Bashir together in April 2019 following massive protests against his three decades of iron-fisted rule.

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

“With neither Burhan nor Hemeti appearing ready to back down, the situation could get much worse,” the ICG think tank said, adding that while some analysts thought the army would succeed in on its “home turf” in Khartoum, the risk of an all-out conflict remained.

“Even if the army eventually does secure the capital, and Hemeti retreats to Darfur, a civil war could well follow, with potentially destabilising impact in neighbouring Chad, the Central African Republic, Libya and South Sudan”, the ICG added.