Civilians in the city - which is adjacent to the capital, Khartoum - say they're terrified by the intensity of shelling, artillery bombardments and ground clashes.

In Khartoum, the RSF paramilitary forces who control large areas say they've shot down a Sudanese Armed Forces fighter plane and detained its pilot after he landed with a parachute.

Analysts say the army wants to cut off supply routes that the RSF uses between Omdurman and its strongholds in western Sudan.

In Darfur the paramilitaries' Arab militia allies have been attacking non-Arab families.