Heavy gunfire and explosions could still be heard in the capital Khartoum, despite a 24-hour humanitarian ceasefire that was to take effect late on Tuesday.

"We are getting used to the scary situation," a local teacher in Khartoum told BBC's Newsday programme on Wednesday, saying he could still hear sounds of heavy gunfire.

The ceasefire did not materialise - with residents in the capital reporting heavy gunfire and explosions for the fifth day running.

The African Union (AU) is hoping a pause in the clashes on Wednesday will allow a delegation from Djibouti, Kenya and South Sudan to arrive for talks with Sudan’s de-facto leader General Abdel Fattah al Burhan and his rival Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo who commands the RSF.

So far international mediation efforts have failed and there are growing concerns the country could slide into a civil war.

Nearly 200 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured with the main doctor’s union warning that the number of dead could rise even further.

Residents in and around Khartoum have reported anti-aircraft fire, and air strikes that shook buildings. In western Sudan, too, the UN said fighting was raging.