Sharjah 24 – AFP: Pope Francis on Sunday called for dialogue between warring military factions in Sudan as a bloody outbreak of fighting entered a second week.
"Unfortunately the situation remains grave in Sudan.
"That is why I am renewing my call for the violence to stop as quickly as possible and for dialogue to resume," the pontiff said during traditional Sunday prayers in Saint Peter's Square in Rome.
"I invite everyone to pray for our Sudanese brothers and sisters," he added.
France, Italy, Turkey and the United States are all evacuating citizens from Sudan.
Ferocious battles between the Sudanese army and a paramilitary group -- which has seen fighting with tanks in densely populated Khartoum and air strikes launched by fighter jets -- have killed more than 400 people and left thousands wounded.