Sudan crisis: Man in Londonderry fears for trapped family

Amar Osman (far left) attended a vigil for the Sudanese community in Londonderry on Tuesday evening

A Sudanese man living in Londonderry has said he fears for his family trapped in his native country.

The clashes between the regular army and a paramilitary force called the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are a result of a vicious struggle for power within the country's military leadership.

Amar Osman's family have been in the capital Khartoum for more than a month.

Mr Osman has called on the international community to do more to help his homeland in north-east Africa.

Hundreds of people have been killed and nearly 700,000 civilians have been displaced since the fighting began on 15 April.

A vigil was held in Derry on Tuesday evening to show solidarity with the city's Sudanese community.

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Speaking to the BBC's The North West Today, Mr Osman said his father, mother and two sisters were all in Khartoum and were not safe.

"It was all very shocking because no-one seen this coming - in one day Khartoum turned into a warzone," said Mr Osman.

"Attacks where happening everywhere next to our houses and neighbour's houses with people caught in the crossfire.

"I was watching the news and seeing pictures from our neighbourhoods, seeing bullets and the bombs."

Mr Osman said his family were incredibly scared and had been hiding and sleeping under beds for the past month.

Nearly 700,000 civilians have been displaced since the fighting began last month

He said their food supplies were low and it was not safe for them to venture on to the streets.

"There is no access to cash and all of the banking apps are no longer working," he said.

About seven million people are understood to be trapped in their homes in Khartoum, unable to get basic supplies.

Conditions for civilians trapped in the city continue to deteriorate, with doctors saying the health service is now near total collapse.

'Stand with Sudan'

Mr Osman said he did not know how his family could leave their situation and he added that "it is just about surviving for now".

"There is nothing we can really do," he said.

"I want people to stand with Sudan - if there is something the world can do then please do it now because if the situation continues we will have no family left."

Conditions in Sudan's capital Khartoum have worsened for civilians trapped in the city

Envoys from the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have met in in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah to begin talks about a short-term ceasefire, according to Saudi officials.

Little information has been released publicly on the progress of the mediated talks.

However numerous previous ceasefires agreements have failed to halt the fighting.