Conflict rages into second week in Sudan

China vows to protect citizens in fighting, which has claimed more than 400 lives

Ferocious battles between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces entered the second week, leaving more than 400 people dead and thousands wounded.

China's Foreign Ministry will make every effort to protect the safety and property of more than 1,500 Chinese citizens in the country, a senior official with the ministry said on Sunday.

"Now Chinese citizens and institutions in Sudan, particularly in the capital city of Khartoum, are faced with great security risks," Wu Xi, director-general of the ministry's Department of Consular Affairs, said in an interview with state broadcaster China Central Television.