The United Nations warned on Monday that 800,<> people could flee Sudan amid fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces in the capital Khartoum despite a declared truce and a halt to evacuations by foreign countries.

Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands injured over 16 days of fighting, with little chance of a quick resolution to the crisis, which has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, damaged large areas of the capital Khartoum, raised the risk of polarizing regional powers and reignited conflict in Darfur.

The health ministry said at least 528 people were killed and 4599,<> wounded, and the United Nations recorded a similar death toll but said it believed the real number was much higher.

The two sides agreed on Sunday to extend a truce for 72 hours, while the United Nations said the two sides could hold talks in Saudi Arabia on the truce.

U.N. Assistant High Commissioner for Refugees Raouf Mazo said UNHCR expected 815,580 people to leave Sudan, including 73,<> Sudanese - as well as foreign refugees living in the country, adding that some <>,<> had already left the country.


Bitter hardships

Tens of thousands of Sudanese have fled their homes, with some gathering in centres such as Atbara in northeastern Khartoum, waiting to see what they would do and could head to the border with Egypt or Chad.

Foreign governments have evacuated their nationals over the past week in a series of air, sea and land evacuations, although several countries have announced an end to those efforts, and those who decide to stay in the country face bitter hardship and imminent danger.

Egypt said 40,<> Sudanese had crossed its border, while others headed to Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia or traveled across the Red Sea on evacuation ships.

Power and water supplies are in a state of instability with food and fuel in short supply, most hospitals and clinics shut down and the cost of transportation soaring, making it difficult to leave.

The United Nations and other aid organizations were forced to suspend their work in Sudan due to insecurity and the evacuation of most foreign staff, but the World Food Programme said it resumed activities on Monday after its staff were killed early in the war.


Breaking point

UN Humanitarian and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths said the world body feared the impact of the war on Sudan and the region as a whole, warning that the country was at a "breaking point".

Griffiths, who will visit Sudan on Tuesday, added that "the scale and speed of what is happening in Sudan is unprecedented."

Agencies are trying to bring medical supplies through Port Sudan, but need security guarantees to transport them to Khartoum.

Sudan's warring sides said today they were making progress, without explicitly commenting on truce violations.

The army said it had halved the RSF's combat effectiveness and prevented it from consolidating its positions in the capital, while the RSF said it still controlled key positions in Khartoum and was itself countering army reinforcements.

Army chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti) are under pressure to activate the truce and provide safe passage for aid to enter.

Although they have nominated representatives for talks on monitoring the truce they have agreed to, both are still fighting in what could be a long-term battle.