Pro-democracy activists in Sudan reported on Friday that approximately 40 people were killed in “violent artillery fire” conducted by paramilitary forces the previous day in Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city.
Sudan has been in turmoil since April 2023, when fighting erupted between the army, led by military chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by Burhan’s former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
The Karari Resistance Committee, one of hundreds of grassroots pro-democracy groups coordinating aid across Sudan, attributed Thursday’s deadly attack on Omdurman to the RSF.
“So far, the death toll is estimated at 40 civilians, with more than 50 injured, some seriously,” the organization stated on social media. The exact number of victims remains uncertain, with bodies received by Al Nao university hospital and other private health facilities, or buried by families.
This shelling followed accusations against the RSF for killing over 104 people, including 35 children, in an attack on the village of Wad Al-Noura in Al-Jazira state, south of Khartoum, on Wednesday.
In just over a year, the conflict has claimed thousands of lives, with some estimates putting the death toll as high as 150,000, according to the United States’ envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello. Over seven million people have been displaced, adding to the 2.8 million already displaced from previous conflicts in the country of 48 million.
Fighting continues daily across Sudan, including in the capital, with both sides accused of war crimes such as targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, and blocking humanitarian aid.
At least 35 children were killed in the attack on Wad Al-Noura, with activists from the Madani Resistance Committee sharing images on social media of white shrouds laid out on the ground.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack, while UN resident coordinator for Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, expressed shock over the violent attacks and high casualties in the village, calling for an investigation.
“Human tragedy has become a hallmark of life in Sudan. We cannot allow impunity to become another one,” she stated.
The RSF has been accused of looting, sexual and ethnic violence, and attacking entire villages across Sudan multiple times. In a statement, the paramilitaries claimed they had attacked three army camps in the Wad Al-Noura region and clashed with them “outside” the inhabited area.
