'RSF shelling' kills 40 in Omdurman amid outrage over 104 deaths in Gezira

The city of Khartoum, Omdurman and Darfur are the places where the war is the most destructive. (Photo/Reuters)

About 40 people were killed in "violent artillery fire" when paramilitary Rapid Support Forces [RSF] targeted Omdurman, Khartoum's twin city, pro-democracy activists in Sudan have reported.

The Karari Resistance Committee, one of hundreds of grassroots pro-democracy groups that coordinate aid across Sudan, said on Friday that RSF was behind the deadly attack on Omdurman that took place on Thursday.

"So far, the death toll is estimated at 40 civilians and there are more than 50 injured, some seriously," the organisation posted on social media.

"There is still no precise count of the number of victims," it said, adding that bodies were received by Al Nao university hospital and other private health facilities or were buried by relatives.

The shelling came a day after the RSF was accused of killing more than 104 people, including 35 children, when they attacked the village of Wad al Noura in Gezira state, south of Khartoum.

Millions displaced since 2023

In just over a year, the war in Sudan has claimed thousands of lives, with some estimates putting the death toll as high as 150,000, according to the United States envoy to Sudan, Tom Perriello.

Sudan has been ravaged by war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the main army, led by military chief Abdel Fattah al Burhan, and RSF, commanded by Burhan's former deputy Hamdan Daglo.

Since the war began, more than seven million people have fled their homes for other parts of Sudan, adding to 2.8 million already displaced from previous conflicts in the country of 48 million.

Fighting continues daily, including in the capital, with both sides accused of war crimes including deliberately targeting civilians, indiscriminate shelling of residential areas and blocking humanitarian aid.

The International Organisation for Migration has said the number of internally displaced persons could "exceed 10 million" in the coming days.

Starvation is also a growing threat in Sudan, with about 18 million people suffering from hunger and 3.8 million children acutely malnourished, according to UN agencies.

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Source: TRT