I usually sleep outside in my garden during this time of year when the temperature soars to above 40 degrees, but I am afraid to do so right now since fighter planes are currently roaring over my home in Omdurman, Sudan, in spite of the most recent truce.
I reside in the heart of Omdurman, right over the Nile from Khartoum's capital, with my mother and siblings.
The fighter planes serve as a daily reminder that war has broken out in Sudan. Their frightful sound is something I can't get used to.
We have battles to our north, south, east, and west between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
On Monday afternoon, a bullet that was fired through the top of my neighbor's home struck my neighbor's sleeping neighbor in the leg. Thankfully, she did not sustain any significant injuries.
A short while ago, we heard loud booms, "boom, boom, boom." Although we are unsure, we believe it was the anti-artillery fire. Because it is too dangerous to even look out of our windows, we hid inside our homes.
Fighter planes pass by our area from morning till evening, ceasefire or no ceasefire, arriving from the same military airport where foreign nationals have been evacuated and proceeding towards Khartoum to attack RSF positions.
According to every account I've heard, RSF militants control the majority of Khartoum, and there aren't many army or policemen to be seen on the streets.
Although the RSF attempts to shoot down the fighter jets with anti-aircraft artillery, I am not aware of any aircraft that have been downed.
Some of the bullets made contact with an open field in my neighborhood three days ago. Fortunately, they missed a mosque and several houses.
The Janjaweed fighters that aided the government put down a revolt in Darfur two decades ago make up the RSF, which has its roots in that conflict.
Prior to the overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in 2019, it had about 20,000 members; however, it has since grown to a force with an estimated 80,000–100,000 fighters.\
It established a significant presence in several towns and cities around Sudan, but many of its fighters have now been sent to Khartoum as the struggle for control between army commander Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo intensifies.
Checkpoints staffed by RSF fighters in pick-up vehicles are scattered across the city.
People put their lives in danger every time they have to negotiate their way past, according to Hamid Khalafallah of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, who spoke on the BBC's Newsday program.
It mainly involves gambling. They occasionally allow you through and occasionally don't. It's quite sporadic; sometimes they fire at you, sometimes they steal your belongings," he stated.
The presidential palace, the military command center, and the international airport have seen the most intensive fighting.
All of my friends who lived in these areas have left, with some of them traveling to Egypt on long, arduous roads because they weren't fortunate enough to be evacuated like foreign nationals on specially chartered planes.
My neighborhood is one of the safest in the city, so I've decided to stay, but I'm not sure how long.
My relative who was just entering her 30s passed away from dengue fever. She was scheduled to get married this month, but she passed away because hospitals were either closed or only caring for those who had been shot in the head.
Despite being one of the largest in Sudan, the Omdurman Teaching Hospital is only partially operational.
Since it is too dangerous for them to travel, many doctors are unable to reach the hospital.
A crisis with the supply of water and energy coexists with the collapse in health care.
Since fighting broke out on April 15, some residents have been without access to water in their homes, forcing them to rely on their neighbors' wells for their supply.
Although we all want the conflict to end quickly, our greatest concern is that former prime minister Abdalla Hamdok may have been correct, and Sudan could enter a civil war worse than those in Syria and Libya.
