A Dublin-based Sudanese doctor has told how two members of her family were shot dead while trying to find medicine in Khartoum.
Dr Hawa Ibrahim, who works in palliative care with St Francis Hospice, told RTÉ's Morning Ireland how her relatives died just three days after armed conflict erupted between rival factions of the military government of Sudan on 15 April.
She described the tragedy as "very sad and shocking for my family".
"I lost my niece and my brother-in-law. They were just going out to the local pharmacy to bring medicine for my sister," Dr Ibrahim said.
"She has been bed-bound since having a stroke last year.
"And they were just shot dead on the street. It is a very tough time, we are all in shock."
She said some of her family had tried to flee Khartoum and it is "hard to know" if they are safe or not as phone networks have been down.
Dr Ibrahim said relatives still in the Sudanese capital were running out of food and water.
"They also have no access to their bank accounts to get money for daily living," she said.
"Hospitals have been destroyed, there is no medication – it is a huge crisis."
Her husband, Dr Nemer Osman, helps run a social club for the Sudanese community in Blanchardstown, west Dublin.
He said one local member recently heard his brother had been killed in the violence.
"The conflict is a complete disaster for our country," Dr Osman said.
"The fighting and the fire can come from any direction. People are sheltering in their houses, literally under their beds. Children are completely terrified."
Dr Mohammed Ahmed – a fellow member of the Sudan Social Cub – said there are "no words to describe what is happening back home, we are in a state of shock".
He said his sister is trapped in Khartoum as there is no safe way out.
"We are having sleepless nights – the fighting has to stop urgently, the international community must push harder to find a solution," Dr Ahmed added.
Yahya Al-Hussein is the Imam of the Dublin Mosque on South Circular Road and a native of Sudan who has been living in Ireland for almost four decades.
"The Sudanese community has grown a lot over the years," he said.
"But helping their families back home is so difficult now – even trying to send money can be challenging.
"We hope the fighting stops soon and the Sudanese community as well as the wider Muslim community here will be making every effort to help."
Outside the mosque, a recent Sudanese arrival to Ireland, Mohamed, explained he had no accommodation and was sleeping rough in a tent in Dublin city centre.
But his thoughts were with his family back in Khartoum.
"My mother has left the city and is trying to cross the Egyptian border – it is a very bad situation there. Now I cannot get in touch with her to see if she is safe or not."
Fellow worshipper Hamid Sulayman said his brother was living in Omdurman – around an hour from Khartoum.
"The fighting is not so bad there but he has lost his job and there is no food left in local shops."
