Terrified to step outside because of firefights and bands of armed men in the streets, residents remain stuck in their homes with dwindling supplies of food, water and medicine.

The violence against foreign officials, who are usually not targeted, highlighted how much the security situation has worsened in Khartoum in recent days.

The unit traces its origins from the notorious Janjaweed militias, which in the 2000s helped Sudan’s Army crush a rebellion in the western region of Darfur.