The death toll from the crisis in Sudan as well-armed factions led by two rival commanders continue fighting each other in heavily populated cities has climbed over 420, according to the World Health Organization. Violence was still raging Friday despite three separate ceasefire attempts.
Here's what's happening in the east African nation, and why:
Who is fighting in Sudan?
The clashes in Sudan are between the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, led by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
Until recently, the leaders of the two forces were allies. They worked together in 2019 to overthrow Sudan's brutal dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled over the country for three decades, sweeping to power as thousands of people took to the streets in a popular uprising against al-Bashir.
After that coup, a power-sharing government was formed, made up of civilian and military groups. The plan was for it to run Sudan for a few years and oversee a transition to a completely civilian-run government.
Why did the fighting in Sudan start?
In 2021, al-Burhan, who had become chief of the power-sharing council, dissolved it, declaring he would instead hold elections in 2023.
The current fighting broke out between the army and the RSF as a result of negotiations breaking down over integrating the two forces ahead of the intended restoration of civilian rule. There was disagreement over which general would be subordinate to the other, and how quickly the RSF would be incorporated into the Sudanese military.
Heavy fighting broke out across the country on April 8, with Sudan's capital city of Khartoum and neighboring Obdurman being turned into battlefields.
U.S. Embassy workers evacuated
The U.S. military on April 23 successfully evacuated American government employees from the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, the White House confirmed. President Biden also disclosed that the U.S. was "temporarily suspending operations" at the embassy.
The exact number of Americans evacuated was unclear. Sources familiar with the matter had previously told CBS News that the evacuation of roughly 70 U.S. government workers had been in the planning stages all week.
Sources familiar with the planning had told CBS News prior to embassy workers' extraction that American civilians would not to be included in that evacuation.
Khartoum International Airport has remained closed for several days, as is Sudan's border with neighboring Chad, according to the State Department.
Meanwhile, one U.S. citizen is among those who've been killed in the violence, the State Department said Thursday, without providing further details.
— David Martin, Debora Patta and Sarah Carter contributed to this story.
Haley Ott is an international reporter for CBS News based in London.
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