UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on Sudan's warring parties to immediately cease hostilities Monday as his envoy to Khartoum said at least 185 people had been killed by the fighting.

The UN chief said any further escalation of the conflict between the army and paramilitary forces, "could be devastating for the country and the region."

The violence erupted on Saturday and continued for a third day on Monday with the death toll increasing to at least 185 people, Volker Perthes, the United Nations special representative to Sudan, told reporters.

In a tweet, UN chief Antonio Guterres said the violence in Sudan has already led to ''horrendous loss of life.''

Mr Guterres once again urged for an end to the fighting saying ''those with influence over the situation must use it to support efforts to end the violence, restore order and return to the path of transition.''

The fighting broke out after weeks of power struggles between the two generals who seized power in a 2021 coup - Sudan's army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Previous calls for a ceasefire have been ignored by the two parties with heavy fighting continuing for a third day on Monday.

The African Union had said it would send a delegation to mediate and that it strongly rejects any external interference that could complicate the situation in Sudan.