Sudan's western cities under fire as war spreads Fighting rocked several cities in western Sudan on Wednesday in an expansion of the country's almost two-month-old war as a regional governor was killed after publicly blaming the deaths of civilians on the country's paramilitary force. The conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has caused a humanitarian crisis in Khartoum, as well as major cities in the Kordofan and Darfur regions. The widening footprint of fighting threatens to prolong the violence and draw in armed groups - particularly those with tribal affiliations - as well as external actors.…

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE Ukraine has lost hundreds of pieces of Western-supplied hardware – Putin Ukrainian forces have already lost dozens of tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles in their attacks on Russian positions, President Vladimir Putin told war correspondents on Tuesday. Kiev’s troops have so far failed to achieve success on any of the fronts in their long-touted counteroffensive, he added. Russian positions have faced attacks in four major directions, the president said during a meeting at the Kremlin. He added that Ukrainian reserves, including those equipped with Western-supplied military hardware, had also been thrown into the fray. However, the offensive…

Sudan's warring factions not taking advantage of talks to achieve agreed truce - US Sudan's warring factions are not taking advantage of talks initiated by the United States and Saudi Arabia meant to yield a permanent ceasefire as they originally agreed, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Tuesday. The United States is consulting with Saudi Arabia and others in the Arab world and Africa about a path forward and hoped to announce a recommended approach in the next few days, the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters in Washington. "We think we've given them every…

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE Russia launches 'massive missile' attack on Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine - officials Russia launched a "massive missile" attack overnight on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, killing and wounding people and damaging civilian infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said early on Tuesday. "There are dead and wounded," Serhiy Lisak, governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region where Kryvyi Rih is located, said on the Telegram messaging app. "A massive missile attack on Kryvyi Rih." Russian air strikes hit several civilian buildings in the city, including a five-storey building, the mayor of Kryvyi Rih, Oleksandr Vilkul, said earlier. "Likely, there are…