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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Ryan Fahey

Sudan war: Three blind men trapped with no way out as chaos and violence escalates

Three blind men were among thousands of people left behind in Sudan's capital of Khartoum as the country erupts in violence.

Last weekend, chaos broke out as the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militant clashed with heavy bombing and gunfights breaking out across the country.

The death toll has tipped over 400, with at least another 3,500 Sudanese injured.

Despite promises of a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds, fighting has continued, meaning civilians have been unable to escape as buildings around them topple to the ground.

Abu Bakr Abdel Wahhab Abbas, who is visually impaired, was trapped with another two blind men inside the office of the Souk al-Arabi (Arab Market) - the capital's largest open air market.

Houses in the Lamab district were destroyed during clashes on Sunday (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

They had been trapped in the building since the start of the war on April 15, with no way of escaping.

Abu Bakr spoke to The Mirror from Tabara, a town in Sudan's North Darfur State, after being rescued by a number of good samaritans who were told of his plight on social media.

After five days of being held captive to the "fire of war", he arrived in Tabarah on Wednesday night.

An aerial view of black smoke rising over Khartoum International Airport (AFP via Getty Images)

He said his "fingers are unable to write, and his tongue can't begin to express my thanks to everyone who called and tried to get me out of the midst of the attacks".

Fellow Khartoum residents "did not stop around the clock" to get him to safety, he told The Mirror.

Abu Bakr's is just one of several similar stories coming out of the country in recent days.

One British woman said she's been forced to seek shelter in the basement of a school with a group of friends and six kids, one of them her daughter.

A shop damaged during clashes (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The blame for the fighting falls firmly on the head of two men - two generals controlling the rival forces.

Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who also goes by Hemedti, is trying to wrestle power from Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, the general of the Sudanese army and de facto ruler of the country.

There are currently no signs of the fighting deescalating any time soon.

The RSF broke a 72-hour ceasefire which was set up on humanitarian grounds (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The RSF had promised to abide by a 72-hour truce to allow humanitarian corridors out of warring areas, but fighting continues to rage.

Meanwhile, the Sudanese military has ruled out any form of negotiations with the RSF - a paramilitary force that was responsible for crimes against humanity during the War in Darfur.

Since the start of the ongoing conflict the RSF mobilised forces across Sudan and Darfur, including the airport in Khartoum.

The government has now designated them a rebel group.

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