At least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday amid intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Rights groups report that the casualties resulted from barrel bombs, shelling, and airstrikes as the 20-month conflict intensifies.
The war, which has devastated large parts of the country, has grown increasingly brutal as international ceasefire efforts falter and global attention shifts to other crises. Both sides have targeted densely populated civilian areas, escalating the human toll.
In the town of Kabkabiya, North Darfur, over eight barrel bombs hit a crowded market on Monday, killing more than 100 people and wounding hundreds, according to the pro-democracy Al-Fashir Resistance Committee. The human rights group Emergency Lawyers shared images of a mass grave and described scenes of devastation.
Video footage shows bloodied bodies, burning stalls, and survivors crying out for help. Armed men, reportedly RSF soldiers, were seen in the area. An activist from Kabkabiya stated that while a few soldiers were present, most victims were civilians.
The Sudanese army, which has frequently used airstrikes in North Darfur as it battles for control of the state capital al-Fashir, denied responsibility for the Kabkabiya attack. It maintained that it reserves the right to target any RSF-controlled locations.
On Tuesday, RSF forces launched heavy artillery strikes on an army-controlled area in Omdurman, part of Khartoum state. At least 20 people were killed, including 14 passengers on a bus hit by artillery fire, according to Emergency Lawyers. The army-controlled state government reported 65 deaths, with numerous casualties transferred to Al-Naw Hospital.
The conflict has left over 30 million people in need of humanitarian aid, with 12 million displaced from their homes. In North Darfur’s Zamzam camp, famine has been declared, compounding the dire conditions. Shelling in the camp on Tuesday killed seven people, according to Adam Rojal, spokesperson for the Coordinating Committee for Displaced People.
As the Sudanese conflict escalates, international focus on other global crises has allowed the war to persist with little intervention. The continued targeting of civilians and densely populated areas has led to unprecedented suffering, highlighting the urgent need for global action to address the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Sudan.
Melissa Enoch
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