Fighting erupted in Sudan on Saturday as the army and paramilitary forces clashed, leaving at least 56 people dead and hundreds injured. 

They were the first clashes between the forces since 2019 but rose out of a long-running tussle for power.

Here is what you need to know.

Who are the main players?

On one side you've got Sudan's army, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan.

He has been the country's de facto president since a military coup in October 2021.

On the other is paramilitary group the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the partner-turned-rival of the military.

The RSF is led by general Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti. He is the deputy head of Sudan's ruling Sovereign Council.

The two sides came together to oust former leader Omar al-Bashir in 2019 but there have been long-running disagreements over how the country should be run.

Since the clashes started both sides have claimed to be in control of strategic locations, including the presidential palace, airports and air bases.

Why has violence erupted now?

Saturday's violence erupted out of tensions over the transition from military to civilian rule.

Things escalated in the days prior as RSF troops were deployed around the country.

In a rare statement in the early hours of Thursday, the army said the mobilisation represented a "clear violation of law".

Central to the tension was a disagreement between the army and the paramilitary over how and when the RSF should be integrated into the military.

The army wanted the transition to happen within two years while the RSF said it would take 10 years.