Omdurman

Sudan is on the brink of "full-scale civil war," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned, three months after the army and a powerful paramilitary force clashed in the capital, two neighboring towns, the western Darfur region and other parts of the country.

Clashes continue in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, despite the announced ceasefire, which is due to end tonight.

Al Jazeera, meanwhile, reported that a new party is intervening in the conflict in Sudan - the central reserve police.

Warplanes on bombing raids drew heavy fire over Khartoum as fighting between Sudan's army and paramilitaries entered a third week with the UN chief warning the country was falling apart.

Foreign governments evacuated diplomats, staff and others from Sudan on Sunday as rival generals battled for a ninth day with no sign of a truce that had been declared for a major Muslim holiday.

As explosions and gunfire thundered outside, Sudanese huddled in their homes for a third day Monday in the capital Khartoum and other cities, while the army and a powerful rival force battled in the streets for control of the country.

The Sudanese military and a powerful paramilitary group battled for control of the chaos-stricken nation for a second day Sunday, signaling they were unwilling to end hostilities despite mounting diplomatic pressure to cease fire.

Fierce clashes between Sudan's military and the country's powerful paramilitary force erupted Saturday in the capital and elsewhere in the African nation, raising fears of a wider conflict in the chaos-stricken country.

In Khartoum, the sound of heavy firing could be heard in a number of areas, including the city center and the neighborhood of Bahri.