56 killed in Sudanese market by artillery shelling
On February 1st, artillery shelling hit Omdurman market in Sudan, killing 56 and wounding at least 158 people.
According to Al Jazeera, witnesses to the attack said the artillery shelling came from the direction of western Omdurman, which the paramilitary RSF currently control, this attack was supported by drones.
Khalid al-Aleisir, minister of culture and government spokesperson, quickly condemned the attack on the Saturday market, Aleisir confirmed that the casualties were mainly comprised of women and children, causing widespread death and destruction.
“This criminal act adds to the bloody record of this militia,” he stated. “It constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”
A resident said the RSF were firing on multiple streets at once.
“The shells fell in the middle of the vegetable market, that’s why there are so many victims and wounded,” one survivor stated.
Staff at the nearby al-Nao Hospital have reported being overwhelmed by the number of casualties wounded that are “still being brought to the hospital”. The hospital is in dire need of “shrouds, blood donors and stretchers to transport the wounded”.
War between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary RSF initially broke out in April 2023 as the two forces were to be integrated. The conflict has killed over 20,000 people, driving millions from their homes as well as causing severe shortages in food and medical supplies in the region. The UN have estimated that Around 106,000 people are suffering from famine in Khartoum.
On January 31st, a day before the attack RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo promised he would retake the capital from the army:”We expelled them [from Khartoum] before, and we will expel them again,” said Daglo, addressing RSF troops in a video.
The Sudanese army regained control of several important bases in Khartoum in January, one of these being the recapture of Wad Madani by the Sudanese army on January 11th. Among these bases also included their pre-war headquarters, which has forced the RSF to retreat further into the outskirts of the city.
Al Jazeera, Maghrebi
