At least 40 people were killed and many more wounded when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a vegetable market in Omdurman, part of greater Khartoum, on Saturday. The shelling, reportedly supported by drones, targeted a busy market and continues to cause a medical crisis in the region.
Casualties and Medical Crisis
An anonymous medical source from Al-Nao Hospital said that the facility, one of the few still operating in the area, is struggling to cope with the large number of casualties. “The wounded are still being brought to the hospital,” the source said. The hospital is facing critical shortages, including a need for shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers to transport the injured.
The witnesses at the scene reported that the assault was viciously destructive, with artillery shells crashing into the central Omdurman market, which had many civilians going about their daily routines. The survivor further noted that the number of victims and the number of injuries were remarkably high because of the location and timing of the attack.
Continued Conflict and Casualties
The war between the RSF and Sudan’s regular army that broke out in April 2023 has devastated the capital city of Khartoum and its surroundings. Over 26,000 have been killed within the capital between April 2023 and June 2024, with tens of thousands of others having died across the nation of Sudan. The fighting has displaced more than 12 million people, with many citizens running from their homes because the battles have been unrelenting.
By this month, the Sudanese army has taken control of many strategic locations, such as its headquarters in Khartoum, forcing the RSF into the outskirts of the city. The RSF, however, continues to control parts of western Omdurman, and shelling from those areas continues to pose a huge threat to civilians.
Famine and Humanitarian Crisis
This ongoing war has created the worst humanitarian disaster, and there are millions experiencing food insecurity. The United Nations reported that in Khartoum alone, at least 106,000 people were famine-stricken and 3.2 million suffered from crisis levels of hunger. Famine was declared in five areas and expectations are to extend it to five more by May.
RSF’s Counteroffensive
Saturday’s attack came a day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo issued a statement vowing to retake Khartoum from the army. “We expelled them before, and we will expel them again,” Daglo said, addressing his troops in a rare video message.
The continued attack of RSF and its stronghold of significant portions of Darfur and other areas has faced condemnations by the international community. The U.S. Government sanctioned Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, accusing them of being behind human rights abuses and using food as a weapon of war.
With war degenerating the Sudan situation day by day, the humanitarian situation is becoming increasingly worse, and hence, the need for increased international intervention and support is becoming increasingly important.