Heavy gunfire heard south of Sudanese capital Khartoum: witnesses

April 15 (Reuters) - Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said on Saturday that the army had surrounded one of its bases and opened fire with heavy weapons, as gunfire could be heard in several parts of Khartoum and adjoining cities, eyewitnesses told Reuters.

The move follows days of tension between the army and the RSF, a powerful paramilitary group, that had sparked concern about a confrontation.

A Reuters witness saw cannon and armoured vehicles deployed in streets, and heard the sound of heavy weaponry in the vicinity of the headquarters of both the army and RSF.

The source of the gunfire could not be immediately confirmed by Reuters. People could be seen running in a state of panic in Khartoum.

The rift between the forces came to the surface on Thursday, when the army said that recent movements by the RSF had happened without coordination and were illegal.

A statement by the RSF on Saturday called the army's actions a "brute assault" and called for it to be condemned.

It said that the RSF had been in contact with local and international mediators to inform them.

A confrontation between the two forces could spell prolonged strife across a vast country already dealing with economic breakdown and flare-ups of tribal violence.

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