Sudan’s rival military forces accused each other of fresh violations of a ceasefire that is set to expire on Sunday as their deadly conflict continued for a third week despite warnings of a slide towards catastrophic civil war.

Locked in a battle for Khartoum, Sudan’s capital on the Nile, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have fought despite a series of ceasefires secured by mediators, including the US, the latest of which expires at midnight.

The situation in Khartoum was relatively calm on Sunday morning, a Reuters journalist said, after heavy clashes were heard on Saturday evening near the city centre.

The army said on Sunday it had destroyed RSF convoys moving towards Khartoum from the west. The RSF said the army had used artillery and warplanes to attack its positions in a number of areas in Khartoum province.

In an apparent bid to boost its forces, the army said on Saturday that the Central Reserve Police had begun to deploy in southern Khartoum and would be deployed gradually in other areas of the capital.