Scores Killed In Attack On Sudan Open Market
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KHARTOUM (Worthy News) – Fighters with the rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have attacked an open market in the Sudanese city of Omdurman, killing 54 people, officials said Saturday.
The artillery shelling and air attacks on the Sabrein vegetable market also wounded at least 158 others, according to Sudan’s health ministry and other sources.
Two more people were reportedly killed and dozens injured on Saturday in an airstrike in the capital, Khartoum, across the Nile from Omdurman.
It comes amid mounting concerns about ongoing fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, with minority Christians being in the crossfire of the escalating armed conflict in the mainly Muslim nation.
The RSF denied carrying out the attack.
The conflict in Sudan started in April 2023, when tensions between the military and RSF leaders exploded into open fighting in Khartoum. It has since spread across the country.
More than 28,000 people have been killed, and millions forced to flee their homes. Aid workers say that famine has been declared in parts of the country, where some families have resorted to eating grass to survive.
ATROCITIES REPORTED
The conflict has been marked by atrocities, including ethnically motivated killing and rape, according to the United Nations and human rights groups.
The Hague-based International Criminal Court has said it is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Khalid al-Aleisir, minister of culture and government spokesperson, condemned Saturday’s attack, saying the casualties included many women and children. He stressed that the attack caused widespread destruction.
Witnesses told reporters that the artillery shelling came from western Omdurman, where the RSF remains in control and was supported by drones.
One resident further south in Omdurman claimed the RSF was firing on multiple streets at once, adding that “rockets and artillery shells are falling,” despite the RSF ’s denial it was involved.
Saturday’s attack comes a day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo pledged to retake the capital of the Northeast African nation from the army.
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