A military airstrike on a mosque in Sudan’s central city of Wad Madani has claimed the lives of 31 people, according to local activists. The attack occurred on Sunday evening after prayers in the city, which serves as the capital of Al-Jazira state, located just south of Khartoum.
The Wad Madani Resistance Committee, one of many volunteer groups providing aid in the war-torn country, released details about the incident in a statement on Tuesday. The committee accused the army of using “barrel bombs” in the assault and reported that more than half of the victims remain unidentified, as rescue teams continue to sift through the remains of “dozens of charred and mutilated bodies.”
Since April 2023, Sudan has been engulfed in conflict between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This ongoing fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and has led to one of the world’s worst displacement and humanitarian crises.
Both sides are vying for control of Al-Jazira state, a crucial agricultural region that has been under RSF control since late last year. Both forces have been accused of war crimes, including attacks on civilians and the looting of aid supplies.
Additionally, the RSF faces allegations of widespread looting, besieging villages, and committing acts of sexual violence in Al-Jazira and other regions of Sudan.
