KHARTOUM (Reuters) -A new attempt at a ceasefire in fierce fighting between Sudanese troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum and elsewhere failed on Wednesday, leaving people fearful about dwindling food supplies and a breakdown in medical services.

Sudan ceasefire attempt fails with vital supplies running short .

Smoke rises over buildings during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum (Reuters) -A new attempt at a ceasefire in fierce fighting between Sudanese troops and paramilitary forces in Khartoum and elsewhere failed on Wednesday, leaving people fearful about dwindling food supplies and a breakdown in medical services.Smoke and fire rise from an apartment building in a residential complex, in Khartoum© The 24-hour ceasefire deal was supposed to come into effect at 6 p.m. local time (1600 GMT). Two eyewitnesses in separate areas of the capital told Reuters that fighting had continued.Earlier in the day continuous bombardments could be heard in central Khartoum around the compound housing the army HQ and at the main airport, which has been fiercely contested and put out of action since fighting erupted at the weekend.

Thick smoke billowed into the sky and the streets were largely empty in the capital. Gunfire rattled in the south of the city, a Reuters witness said, while the army appeared to retake a key military airport in Sudan's north, images on TV network al Arabiya showed.