A once powerful member of the former Sudanese government wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes and crimes against humanity has been freed from prison in the capital Khartoum.

For years, the people in the villages around of Chingola in Zambia endured frequent health challenges and dead fish floating around in their water source, but that was just the beginning of their nightmare.

The violence that has exploded in Sudan as the country's two top generals grapple for power has unfolded at a terrifying, breakneck speed.

Western and Asian nations were among those mounting rapid evacuation efforts from Sudan on Tuesday, amid a delicate 72-hour ceasefire between warring forces that raised hopes of some respite from the fighting and a chance to open up escape routes after days of violence in the capital Khartoum.

Police have now recovered 89 bodies from mass graves in a forest in eastern Kenya, believed to be linked to a cult that allegedly encouraged its followers to starve themselves to gain salvation, the country's government said.