Sudan's army clashed with tribal militiamen in Port Sudan late Monday, the first such clash outside Khartoum of the rival groups vying to control the country.

A shootout erupted between soldiers and militia under Beja tribe leader Sheba Darar, according to witnesses.

Darar — who supported the army at the start of the war before raging against government officials moving to eastern Sudan — has not announced an alliance with the Rapid Support Forces.

Heavy artillery and air strikes continue to rock the capital city on Monday, witnesses said.

Thousands have been killed in fighting that has raged between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary RSF, since 15 April.

Across Sudan, the violence has killed at least 7,500 people since 15 April, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

The war in Sudan has decimated already fragile infrastructure, shuttered 80 percent of the country's hospitals and plunged millions into acute hunger.

More than five million people have been displaced, including 2.8 million who have fled the relentless air strikes, artillery fire and street battles in Khartoum's densely populated neighborhoods.

WITH AFP