Khartoum

American embassy staffers were airlifted from Sudan early Sunday, as forces loyal to rival generals battled for control of Africa's third-largest nation for a ninth day amid fading hopes for deescalation.

The warring sides said they were helping coordinate the evacuation of foreigners, though continued exchanges of fire in Sudan's capital undermined those claims.

The evacuation of foreign nationals from Sudan continues. According to AFP, mainly citizens of Persian Gulf countries have been successfully evacuated, but there are also some from Bulgaria.

The US military has evacuated US diplomats and their families from Khartoum, confirmed President Joe Biden.

The Sudanese army said Saturday it was coordinating efforts to evacuate American, British, Chinese and French citizens and diplomats from Sudan on military aircraft, as the bloody fighting that has engulfed the vast African nation entered its second week.

As violence in Sudan enters day seven, the country's paramilitary force Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has announced a 72-hour ceasefire starting from Friday, Al Jazeera reported.

Sudan's warring forces battled Friday with heavy gunfire and explosions in the capital Khartoum and elsewhere in the country, as they ignored appeals by world powers for an end-of-Ramadan ceasefire.

The evacuation of the two injured Greek citizens and the other Greek citizens trapped in the conflict zone in Sudan is currently not possible, diplomatic sources said as fighting entered its fifth day on Wednesday.

The government will proceed to evacuate Greek citizens from Sudan unless a safe way out for them can be found, Deputy Foreign Minister for Diaspora Greeks Andreas Katsaniotis has said.

There are approximately 150 Greeks among the 1,000 European citizens in Sudan, where fighting is raging between the armed forces and Sudan's largest paramilitary force, the minister said.

International leaders are demanding an immediate end to days of bloody fighting between rival military groups in Sudan, which has left nearly 200 people dead and hundreds more injured, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.

At least 185 people have been killed and 1,800 injured in the fighting in Sudan, UN mediator Volker Perthes said via video conference in New York.

Fighting is raging in Sudan, with the army carrying out airstrikes even in districts of Khartoum, in an attempt to wipe out paramilitary troops of the elite "Rapid Reaction Force" who tried to seize the Presidential Palace as well as the capital's international airport.

Fighting continues in Sudan between the army and the influential Rapid Support Forces paramilitary formation.

Nearly 100 people were killed and about 1,100 were injured. Both sides claim to hold key areas of the capital, Khartoum. A 3-hour ceasefire was agreed yesterday to allow the casualties to be evacuated.