Displaced families flee again as Sudan war spreads

Fighting between the Sudanese army and paramilitaries on the outskirts of Wad Madani sent already displaced families fleeing again yesterday, an AFP correspondent reported, as a civil war entered its ninth month.

The army blocked civilians from entering the city of Wad Madani -- 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital Khartoum -- which had quickly become a safe haven when war broke out between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15.

An AFP correspondent saw fighter jets overhead and clouds of black smoke rising as blasts were heard from the city's northern outskirts.

Wad Madani is the capital of Al Jazira state, where half a million displaced people have sought refuge, according to United Nations figures.