Sudan: Air Force airstrike in southern Khartoum claimed the lives of at least 23, 40 injuries

Agencies

At least 23 people were killed and 40 were injured in an air strike by the Sudanese Air Force on civilian areas in southern Khartoum, sources quoted by the Sudan Tribune newspaper said. The attack comes as the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) have stepped up attacks on Rapid Support Forces (RSF) positions. The airstrikes targeted the Southern Belt region, hitting a busy market area and residential buildings. Among the victims were tea sellers, shoppers and residents of nearby apartments. “The bombing caused massive destruction, affecting a large number of high-rise buildings in the central market area,” it said. Mohamed Kandisha, spokesman for the emergency room in the area, adding that hospitals are struggling to handle the influx of wounded civilians. The Southern Belt, which includes several neighborhoods, including Al Ingaz, Al Salama and Al Azhari, has been a battlefield between the army and the RSF since the conflict broke out in April. The area is frequently subjected to artillery fire and aerial bombardments, resulting in numerous civilian casualties.

The latest attack is part of a major offensive launched by the army on September 26 to retake areas under RSF control, but the SAF’s growing reliance on air power – which RSF leader Mohamed Hamdadn Dagalo says is also supported by the Egyptian air force – has drawn criticism from human rights groups who accuse them of indiscriminate bombing and endangering civilians. Meanwhile, the Sudanese army has made significant progress in central and southern Khartoum, regaining control of several areas of the capital, North Khartoum and Sennar. “Heavy clashes broke out between the army and the RSF in the Al Maqrin area in central Khartoum,” sources quoted the Sudan Tribune as saying, citing sources who said the Armored Corps was deployed in large areas of the Al Lamab, Al Rumaila and Al Hamadab neighborhoods in southern Khartoum, where heavy weapons clashes occurred. The army also regained control of the Al Kadru, Al Darushab and Al Samrab neighborhoods in northern North Khartoum as part of the military operation launched late last month. Sources also revealed the army’s continued advance in areas west of Al Harat, Umm Bada, Al Fatihab, Al Muraba’at and south of Al Shaqla in Omdurman, all areas controlled by the RSF since the beginning of the conflict.