The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan issued a statement on Sunday, alleging that the Sudanese army had carried out a new massacre against Sudanese civilians. The RSF accused the Sudanese army of killing 23 civilians and injuring dozens in an aerial bombardment of the Mayo neighborhood, south of the capital, Khartoum.
According to the RSF’s statement, “In continuation of their heinous crimes against innocent civilians, the terrorist militias of Hemeti [Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the Sovereign Council and Sudanese army] conducted an aerial bombardment this morning on the residents of the Mayo neighborhood in southern Khartoum. The preliminary toll of this attack stands at 23 civilian casualties, with dozens more injured, who have been transferred to Bashayer Hospital.”
The statement further revealed that “Hemeti’s aircraft executed aerial attacks on the Haj Youssef Al-Wahda area, east of the Nile, in squares 7 and 10 yesterday evening, resulting in the deaths of 13 individuals, mostly children.”
The Sudanese army, in a statement released on Saturday, had previously stated, “Our forces from the 6th Infantry Division in El Fasher engaged with the rebel militia and, by the grace of God, managed to repel them, inflicting heavy casualties of 30 dead and a large number of wounded, as well as capturing several combat vehicles.”
The ongoing fierce and widespread clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces have been ongoing since April 15. Both sides have been vying for control of vital locations, including the Presidential Palace, the General Command of the Armed Forces headquarters, the RSF’s command, and several military and civilian airports.
In the same context, the conflicting parties have agreed on several ceasefire agreements, none of which have been fully honored. Meanwhile, public disputes between Sudan’s Sovereign Council Chairman, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who heads the Sudanese army, and the Commander of the Rapid Support Forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, have become increasingly apparent. This discord has arisen following the signing of the “Framework Agreement” that established the transitional period between the military and civilian components in December last year. The agreement stipulated the military’s withdrawal from politics and the transfer of power to civilians.
Dagalo has previously accused the Sudanese army of planning to remain in power and not ceding authority to civilians, while the army views the movements of the Rapid Support Forces as a rebellion against the state.
