Sudan: at least 15 civilians killed by shells in Khartoum

Deadly fighting between the army and paramilitaries has continued to shake Sudan since April, leaving thousands dead and displaced. At least 15 civilians were killed on Saturday when shells hit their homes in the Sudanese capital Khartoum.

Sudan continues to experience moments of terror, as clashes between the army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhane and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group led by General Mohamed Hamdane Daglo, rage since April. The clashes have cost the lives of more than 9,000 people, according to the NGO Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (Acled), a figure considered to be largely underestimated. Additionally, more than 6 million people have been displaced, and most of the country’s infrastructure has been destroyed.

Talks between the two factions resumed recently in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with the aim of facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, establishing ceasefires and moving towards a permanent cessation of hostilities. However, previous attempts at mediation have failed, leading to brief truces that are regularly violated.

In Darfur, a region bordering Chad, the RSF recently claimed to have taken control of several military bases.

The takeover of a military base in El Geneina, capital of West Darfur, has raised concerns, especially as a communications cut makes it difficult to monitor the situation. The humanitarian coordinator of the UN mission in Sudan, Clementine Nkweta-Salami, recalled the tragic events that occurred in El Geneina in June, where massacres, rapes and mass graves were reported.

Continued violence has forced more than half a million people to flee Darfur to neighboring Chad.