Sudan violence escalates as rival factions reject ceasefire calls

Neither side shows any willingness to heed appeals from US, UK, African Union and Arab states as death toll nears 100

• Explainer: why is there fighting in Sudan?

Rival government factions in Sudan have rejected calls for a ceasefire and intensified their battle for control of the vast and strategically important country as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict gather momentum.

At least 97 people have been killed and many hundreds wounded as clashes have spread since Saturday, when violence erupted between army units loyal to Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan's transitional governing Sovereign Council, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who is deputy head of the council.