The Sudanese army was able to control the entire neighborhoods of Old Omdurman (Al Jazeera)

The Sudanese army stressed its keenness to "avoid causing any harm that could affect citizens and civilian objects in accordance with international standards for targeting," calling on civilians to stay away from combat areas.

The army said in a statement to the office of the official spokesman for the armed forces that it had observed that the Rapid Support Forces had deliberately used civilians as human shields, by using homes and civilian objects as military sites, “similar to what is happening in South Kordofan, North and East Darfur, and all the areas where they are located.”

Al-Bayat called on citizens to stay away from the areas where the Rapid Support Forces are concentrated in various parts of the country, and said that these sites “are considered legitimate military targets for our air force strikes.”

Artillery

Military sources told Al Jazeera that the Sudanese army bombed - Tuesday - with heavy artillery targets belonging to the Rapid Support Forces in the Kadro area, north of Khartoum, while Washington expressed its desire to resume peace talks after the month of Ramadan.

The sources added that 9 combat vehicles belonging to the Rapid Support were destroyed in the Kadro military area.

This development comes in light of the continuing intermittent clashes between the two parties in several areas in Greater Khartoum.

The war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces caused widespread destruction to Al-Shuhada Market and its surroundings in central Omdurman, which was the city's main transportation station.

A tour by Al Jazeera camera revealed the extent of the destruction and vandalism that affected the main transportation station, shops, pharmacies, and cars on the main roads in the Martyrs area.

During this month, the Sudanese army was able to control all of the old neighborhoods of Omdurman after a major battle that enabled it to extend its control over the radio and television buildings.

Resume talks

Meanwhile, the US special envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello, expressed his hope that the two sides of the conflict in Sudan would resume peace talks after the month of Ramadan, and work to prevent the outbreak of a broader regional war despite the failure of previous negotiations.

Perriello told reporters in Washington, after returning from a tour that included 7 countries, that he stressed during his tour that the talks between the warring parties should be comprehensive, and include the UAE, Egypt, the Intergovernmental Authority for the Development of East African Countries (IGAD), and the African Union.

He added that the talks, which Saudi Arabia will co-lead, may begin on April 18, stressing that the road is not paved for either side of the conflict to achieve a clear victory.

Last Sunday, Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Sudanese Army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, ruled out negotiations or a truce with the Rapid Support Forces, and Sudanese leaders stressed that the support forces must first withdraw from civilian areas and public institutions before entering into any dialogue.

The armed conflict, which broke out in Sudan about a year ago, resulted in the deaths of at least 14,000 people and the displacement of more than 8 million, according to the United Nations.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies