A bloody day in Sudan with intensified battles between the army and the Rapid Support Forces
Witnessed shelling and clashes in Khartoum with various types of weapons as the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces continues, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, including children.
Meanwhile, the violence in the Darfur region has pushed hundreds of residents to cross the border into Chad. The support forces claim to have achieved field accomplishments by countering the army’s air force.
Since April 15th, Khartoum and several areas in Sudan have been witnessing battles between the army led by Abdul Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. All efforts for a resolution and the majority of ceasefire agreements have failed.
The conflict has exacerbated the crises in Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world even before the battles began, and has affected all aspects of life for its estimated population of over 45 million.
On Saturday, witnesses and “resistance committees” in southern Khartoum reported that the Yarmouk area was subjected to “aerial bombardment that resulted in civilian casualties.” Sudanese health authorities stated that 17 people, including five children, were killed in the airstrike. The health administration in the capital posted on its Facebook page, “The Yarmouk area in the May neighborhood, south of the belt, was subjected to aerial bombardment that resulted in a number of civilian casualties.” It added, “The preliminary estimates of the Yarmouk massacre indicate the death of 17 people, including 5 children, women, and elderly individuals, and 25 houses were destroyed.”
Witnesses confirmed “clashes with all types of weapons” in the southern part of the capital and “rocket fire and heavy artillery” from the Omdurman suburb north of Khartoum.
These acts of violence come a day after reports confirmed that the central part of Omdurman was targeted by airstrikes from the army’s air force, particularly affecting the Beit al-Mal neighborhood. Local “resistance committees” reported “three deaths” and damage to several houses in the neighborhood due to the shelling.
The army support forces accused the army of using aircraft to target “several densely populated neighborhoods,” including Beit al-Mal, where more than 20 civilians, including some inside a mosque, were reportedly killed.
The support forces also claimed to have shot down a MiG warplane belonging to what they described as “the coup militia and remnants of the old regime,” referring to the army.
They stated on their Facebook page, “The coup militia’s aircraft attacked several residential neighborhoods in southern Khartoum (Mayou, Yarmouk, Mandela), resulting in dozens of casualties among civilians.”
For over two months, violence has been occurring almost daily in Khartoum, with a population of over five million. However, hundreds of thousands have fled since the conflict began due to a shortage of food and a decline in basic services, especially electricity and healthcare.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of over 2,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED). However, the actual numbers may be much higher, according to relief agencies and international organizations.
Moreover, the fighting has displaced over 2.2 million people, with over 528,000 seeking refuge in neighboring countries, according to the International Organization for Migration’s latest data.
More than 149,000 people have crossed into Chad, bordering the Darfur region, where the United Nations is concerned about potential violations that could amount to “crimes against humanity,” particularly in the city of Geneina, the capital of West Darfur State, one of the region’s five states.
“Médecins Sans Frontières” (Doctors Without Borders) stated that nearly 6,000 people have fled Geneina in the past few days alone due to the “escalation of violence” in Darfur.
In a statement on Saturday, they indicated that “at least 622 wounded” had been admitted to Adré, a Chadian city on the Sudanese border, “over the past three days.”
They also mentioned that 430 of these individuals require “surgical care,” and the majority of injuries were “due to gunfire.”
The situation in Darfur is causing growing concern, as the United Nations warned this week that what the region is experiencing may amount to “crimes against humanity.”
