At least 56 people have been killed and 158 others wounded following a brutal artillery shelling and air attack on a vegetable market in Omdurman, Sudan. The attack, which took place on Saturday, has been blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who reportedly fired artillery from western Omdurman, an area still under their control. Witnesses described rockets and artillery shells raining down on multiple streets, with a significant impact on the busy market where many civilians were present.
Among the casualties were numerous women and children, which has sparked outrage and condemnation. Khalid al-Aleisir, Sudan’s Minister of Culture and government spokesperson, decried the attack as a blatant violation of international humanitarian law, adding it to the RSF’s already grim record of violence.
Hospitals in the area, such as al-Nao Hospital, have been overwhelmed by the number of casualties, with volunteers pleading for more medical supplies, blood donations, and stretchers to transport the wounded.
In a separate incident, two civilians were killed, and dozens wounded in an airstrike on an RSF-controlled area in Khartoum. Since the outbreak of war between the Sudanese army and RSF in April 2023, tens of thousands have been killed, and millions displaced, plunging the country into severe hunger and devastation.
The RSF’s commander, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, vowed to retake Khartoum from the Sudanese army, while the city remains deeply impacted by ongoing violence. As many as 3.6 million people have fled the capital, and humanitarian conditions continue to deteriorate.