At least 46 civilians killed in fresh fighting in Sudan

By Adel Abdelrheem

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) – At least 46 civilians have been killed and 44 injured in two days of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Khartoum and Al-Jazira states, the Ministry of Health and volunteer organizations said Tuesday.

The ministry said one girl was killed and 17 other people were injured, including eight children, due to artillery shelling in the city of Omdurman, part of the greater Khartoum area.

The ministry accused the RSF of carrying out the shelling, which affected neighborhoods in the Al-Thawra and Al-Fath areas.

The injured were transported to Al Nau Hospital in Omdurman for treatment, although the severity of their injuries was not disclosed.

In a separate statement, the Emergency Room for Khartoum's South Belt region, a volunteer group aiding war victims, said that 20 civilians were killed and 27 others injured Tuesday due to an airstrike on the Mayo neighborhood in southern Khartoum.

During its battles with the RSF, the Sudanese army maintains control of the airspace, giving it an advantage in certain conflicts, whereas the RSF primarily engages in ground battles.

In eastern Al-Jazirah state, the Rufaa City Resistance Committee, a group of volunteers aiding war victims, announced that 25 citizens were killed and an unspecified number injured in attacks by the RSF.

In a statement, the committee said the casualties occurred following an assault by RSF forces on the cities of Rufaa and Tamboul as well as several villages in eastern Al-Jazira, where homes were raided.

Neither party to the conflict has responded to the allegations regarding the civilian casualties.

Separately, Imran Abdullah, a member of the RSF commander’s advisory office, said in a post on X that their forces had taken control of the city of Tamboul. The Sudanese army has not commented on the claim.

The developments in Al-Jazira come two days after Abu Aqla Muhammad Ahmed Kikil, the RSF's commander in the state, announced his defection with his forces to the Sudanese army.

Areas in eastern Al-Jazira are Kikil's home and serve as the base for his forces, which have split from the RSF to fight alongside the army.

In December 2023, the RSF under Kikil seized control of several cities in Al-Jazira, adjacent to southern Khartoum, including Wad Medani, the state capital.

Since mid-April 2023, the army and RSF have been engaged in a conflict, resulting in over 20,000 deaths and more than 10 million displaced people and refugees, according to the UN.

Calls from the UN and the international community for an end to the fighting are increasing as the war threatens to push millions into famine and death due to food shortages caused by the conflict, which has spread to 13 of Sudan’s 18 states.