In a harrowing incident in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, witnesses have reported that at least 11 civilians lost their lives on Thursday as a result of artillery shelling in the southern part of the city.
Shockingly, seven of the victims were working on a construction project in the Salama district when the shelling occurred.
The Sudanese activist, Mohamed Khalifa, took to his Facebook page to condemn what he referred to as a “new massacre” in the Salama area.
He asserted that this tragedy claimed the lives of 11 innocent citizens, including women. Khalifa accused the army of launching shells in retaliation to artillery fire from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group operating from within residential areas and targeting military barracks.
Furthermore, the RSF released a statement on Thursday, claiming that they were attacked by the “Hemeti Militia” and remnants of the former regime, describing them as “terrorist elements.”
They alleged that residential areas in the city of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state in southwestern Sudan, were targeted in an attack the previous evening.
The RSF accused these groups of killing and injuring numerous civilians and causing significant damage to homes and private properties.
The RSF asserted that they continue to “struggle to rid the country of extremist terrorists and build a new and just Sudan.”
It’s worth noting that the RSF has been in control of Nyala since October of the previous year, following the withdrawal of the army’s 16th Division after months of conflict.
Subsequently, the army withdrew from three other states in Darfur (Western, Central, and Eastern), out of the total five states in the vast region, leaving only the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, under their control.
Local media reported that a unit of the RSF infiltrated El Fasher and engaged in a confrontation with the army, though further details remain undisclosed.
In a related development, reports have emerged that at least six individuals lost their lives on Tuesday in the town of Al Muayliq, located in the Gezira state under the control of the RSF.
They were reportedly killed by a force affiliated with the RSF, while others were led to undisclosed destinations, with claims that they were being pursued by the army.
