Deadly artillery shelling hits Omdurman market in Sudan, 56 killed

In Omdurman, Sudan, a vegetable market was struck by shelling and airstrikes, resulting in the deaths of at least 56 people. The Ministry of Health stated that the attacks on Saturday also caused at least 158 injuries, and the attacks were attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Culture Minister and government spokesman Khaled Aleysir condemned the attack, stating that many women and children were among the casualties. He noted the attack caused widespread destruction. "This criminal act adds to the bloody record of this militia," he said in a statement, "and constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law."

Witnesses reported that the shelling came from western Omdurman, an area still under the control of the RSF, and was supported by drones. A resident in southern Omdurman told AFP that the RSF were firing on multiple streets simultaneously, with "rockets and shells falling constantly." A survivor added, "The shells fell in the middle of the vegetable market, which is why there are so many casualties."

Staff at the nearby Al-Nau Hospital stated they were overwhelmed with the high number of casualties, with injured people "still being brought to the hospital." A hospital volunteer said they were in urgent need of "shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers to transport the injured." In a separate incident in Khartoum, AFP quoted the local Emergency Response Room (ERR) as saying that two civilians were killed and dozens injured in an airstrike on an RSF-controlled area.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 due to disagreements over the integration of forces. The war has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, displaced millions, and left half the population facing hunger. The attacks on Saturday came a day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo vowed to retake the capital from the army. “We expelled them (from Khartoum) before, and we will expel them again,” he told his troops in a rare video address.

Last month, the Sudanese army retook several bases in Khartoum, including its pre-war headquarters, gradually pushing the RSF to the outskirts of the city. The Sudanese capital has become a shell of its former glory, with tens of thousands killed by the violence across the country. Entire neighborhoods have been emptied and occupied by armed groups, and at least 3.6 million people have fled the capital, according to the UN.

At least 106,000 people in Khartoum are experiencing famine conditions and another 3.2 million are facing crisis levels of hunger, according to estimates by the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. The ERR is one of hundreds of volunteer committees across Sudan coordinating emergency care.