The commander of the paramilitary Rapid Special Forces (RSF) Gen Mohammed Hamdan Daglo (also known as Hemedti) has called for the international community to intervene.

In a Twitter thread posted this morning, he calls for action over the "crimes" of his adversary, the army leader Gen General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. He claims his troops are fighting against "radical Islamists".

The head of the RSF says the fight he is waging is "the price of democracy". He says his soldiers "did not attack anyone" and are simply responding to a "siege and assault".

He adds: "We are fighting for the people of Sudan to ensure the democratic progress, for which they have so long yearned."

But Hemedti's claims have been dismissed by many of those commenting on his post - who note that his paramilitary force has a brutal reputation. The RSF has previously been accused of ethnic cleansing in Darfur.