Popular Sudanese singer Shaden Hussein has been killed in crossfire at her home in Khartoum's twin city of Omdurman, her family and friends announced on social media.
Her death unleashed a wave of sympathy online, drawing attention to the dangers to which residents of the Sudanese capital are exposed because of continuing fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Hussein was from the town of Al Obeid in western Kordofan province. She shot to stardom in 2016, when she launched a career immersed in the ballad-singing traditions of the region.
The fighting engulfing Khartoum and other parts of Sudan broke out on April 15, capping weeks of tension between army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan's de facto head of state, and RSF commander Gen Mohamed Dagalo, his deputy on the ruling, military-led Sovereign Council.
In a live audio recording streamed online shortly before her death on Friday, Hussein could be heard telling her 15-year-old-son Hamoudy to stay away from the windows. She also made reference to being appropriately dressed in case she died. "We are going to die ready wearing full clothes," she said.
Hussein, 37, is one of hundreds of civilians to have been killed since the fighting broke out. Thousands have been injured with at least 200,000 forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in neighbouring countries. An additional 700,000 have been displaced inside the country.
Her death came one day after representatives of the army and the RSF reached an agreement to protect civilians after talks in Jeddah sponsored by Saudi Arabia and the US. They were due to start negotiations on a ceasefire this week. Both sides continued fighting through previous ceasefires mediated by foreign powers.
Hussein's home in Omdurman is near the complex housing the state TV and radio, which was captured by the RSF during the early days of the fighting. The area has been the target of heavy air strikes by the army, which has used its advantage of air power to pound RSF positions in Khartoum.