First aid, but little hope in Sudan

Heavy fighting in Sudan has been going on for a fortnight now. So far, no ceasefire has held. On Sunday, Red Cross aid supplies for the population arrived in the country for the first time. By Beate Hinrichs

  • A man in a Red Cross waistcoat stands in front of packages shrink-wrapped in foil.
    Medicines for the sick and injured: eight tonnes of life-saving medical supplies have been transported to Port Sudan on an aid flight. This was announced by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Among them are surgical instruments, anaesthetics and wound dressings. This staff member helps with loading before departure from the Jordanian capital Amman
  • Smoke rises over buildings and a corrugated iron fence in Khartoum.
    Ceasefire, at least on paper: in the meantime, the parties to the conflict have agreed on a renewed extension of the fragile ceasefire. The army and the paramilitary RSF militia confirmed that the ceasefire will now last until Wednesday evening at least. The renewed extension was agreed on the initiative of the USA and Saudi Arabia, they said
  • People walking along a dirt road with rubbish and things lying around, smoke rising in the background.
    Population caught between the fronts: on 15 April, the generals' power struggle escalated into open conflict. Nobody knows how many people have fallen victim to it so far. According to official figures, there are about 500 dead and 4600 injured. The actual figures are probably much higher. The World Food Programme (WFP) had to stop its support for 7.6 million people in Sudan because of the fighting
  • People sitting at an outdoor table receiving certificates, in the background several people are waiting in a long queue.
    Tens of thousands of people on the move: Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world. Fleeing the fighting takes money and strength. Most of those seeking protection end up in neighbouring countries - like here in Chad, where refugees are queuing up to get help from the World Food Programme
  • Hundreds of people stand at the railing on the decks of a ferry above the raised loading ramp.
    Mass evacuation: this ferry brought about 1900 people across the Red Sea to the Saudi port city of Jeddah. Many citizens of China, Pakistan and Brazil, for example, have left the country by sea
  • View of the cargo hold of an aircraft with people boarding in the dark and others already on board.
    Flown out: those who could have flown out. Western governments in particular have airlifted their nationals home from Sudan, such as the countries of Europe and North America. Here, British nationals are brought to Cyprus by the Royal Air Force
  • A Chinese man exits a ship via a gangway and is met at its end by uniformed people. Someone holds out a pink rose to him.
    Arrived: this Chinese man was brought to Saudi Arabia on a Chinese navy transport. More than 1300 nationals were reported to have left Sudan by the middle of last week. Meanwhile, in addition to the fighting, the people of Sudan are suffering a humanitarian crisis that could affect the entire region
  • People stand outside the White House fence in Washington, one person waves a Sudanese flag.
    Appealing to the international community: many Sudanese are calling on the powerful industrialised nations not to stand idly by. In front of the White House in Washington, activists demonstrate for the US to intervene and help end the bloody conflict in Sudan