Sudanese fighter jets pounded paramilitaries in Khartoum on Thursday while deadly fighting and looting flared in Darfur, as the army and a rival force agreed to extend an existing ceasefire even as battles raged.

In the final hours of a repeatedly broken three-day ceasefire, due to end at midnight (2200 GMT), the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced a 72-hour extension following pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United States.

There have been multiple truce efforts since fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF commanded by his deputy turned rival, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All have failed.

Foreign authorities involved in seeking to quell the fighting welcomed the extended ceasefire deal and urged full implementation.

On Thursday, warplanes patrolled over the capital's northern suburbs as fighters on the ground exchanged artillery and heavy machinegun fire, witnesses said.