Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok has issued a stern warning that the conflict in the embattled northeast African country could be far worse than those in Syria and Libya if not resolved as soon as possible.

Mr. Hamdok said the fighting between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) would be a “nightmare for the world” if it continued.

The former Prime Minister called for an international effort to convince the commander of the Sudanese army and the head of the RSF to hold peace talks while addressing a conference in Nairobi, Kenya.

He said: “This is not a war between an army and small rebellion. It is almost like two armies – well trained and well armed.”

Mr. Hamdok, who served as Prime Minister twice between 2019 and 2022, stated further that the conflict in Sudan could rival that of Syria and Libya’s civil wars.

“God forbid if Sudan is to reach a point of civil war,” he said in a conversation with philanthropist Mo Ibrahim Saturday at an event in Nairobi. The conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Libya would seem small by comparison, Hamdok said.

The wars have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions of refugees, and regional insecurity.

Meanwhile,air strikes and artillery continued to rock Khartoum on Saturday as Sudan entered a third week of fighting between rival military forces despite a ceasefire.

More foreign countries have evacuated their diplomats, staff and citizens from the country after fighting broke out between the Sudanese army and rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, RSF.

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The head of the RSF, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, and Sudanese Army commander Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan disagree over the proposed transition of the nation to civilian rule, particularly the timeline for the enlistment of the RSF’s 100,000-strong force.

According to the Sudanese Ministry of Health, at least 528 people have been killed and 4,599 wounded while the United Nations noted that more than 75,000 people had been internally displaced.