At least 23 people were killed and more than 40 others injured in a series of airstrikes carried out by the Sudanese army in southern Khartoum on Saturday.
The strikes targeted a key camp occupied by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), but also hit a bustling central market and a nearby residential area, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.
Traders, shoppers, and local residents were among those who lost their lives.
The RSF, locked in a fierce 18-month conflict with the Sudanese military, has been battling for control of the capital and other regions.
The ongoing civil war has claimed up to 150,000 lives and displaced nearly a fifth of Sudan’s population, according to United Nations estimates.
Emergency responders, including the Nobel Prize-nominated Emergency Response Rooms network, report that hospitals are overwhelmed by the influx of wounded, with medical facilities struggling to cope with the rising number of casualties.
Fighting around Khartoum has escalated since Friday, with the military intensifying airstrikes in areas largely controlled by the RSF. Witnesses have reported clashes in nearby Omdurman, as the army advances toward Khartoum’s southern neighborhoods.
In a related development, the Sudanese government recently accused the United Arab Emirates of providing arms and support to the RSF, presenting new evidence to the UN Security Council. The UAE has repeatedly denied any involvement in the conflict.
Both the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces have been accused of committing widespread atrocities. The UN has warned of a mounting humanitarian crisis, describing Sudan as the site of “the world’s fastest-growing displacement crisis” and the largest hunger crisis globally.
