A devastating drone attack on an open market in the southern outskirts of the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, has resulted in a tragic loss of life, with activists and medical personnel confirming the death toll to be at least 40 people. The strike comes amidst intensifying clashes between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for control of the country.
According to reports from resistance committees and healthcare workers at Bashair University Hospital, where the casualties were treated, at least 70 individuals sustained injuries in the attack that took place in Khartoum’s Mayo neighbourhood on Sunday. Regrettably, many of these victims will require amputations due to the severity of their injuries.
Disturbing footage, shared on social media, depicts the grim aftermath of the incident, with bodies shrouded in white sheets arranged in an open yard at the hospital.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, stated that the drone attack was attributed to the Sudanese army. However, the nature of the victims remains unclear, and there is a pressing need for medical assistance to aid those wounded in the strike.
Indiscriminate shelling and aerial assaults have become distressingly common in Sudan’s ongoing conflict, which has transformed the greater Khartoum area into a harrowing battleground.
Despite nearly five months of strife, no formal talks have commenced between the RSF and the Sudanese army. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the Sudanese Army, expressed a willingness to entertain initiatives like the Jeddah Forum but emphasised that “any unacceptable interference” would not be tolerated.
Morgan noted the absence of progress on the ground, indicating that there have been no ceasefires between the warring factions to provide respite to the beleaguered people of Sudan in the past two months.
Sudan has been engulfed in violence since mid-April, when tensions between the military, led by General al-Burhan, and the RSF, under the command of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, erupted into open conflict. These clashes have since spread to various regions of the country.
In the greater Khartoum area, which encompasses Khartoum, Omdurman, and Khartoum North (Bahri), RSF troops have commandeered civilian homes, converting them into operational bases. In response, the military has been accused of bombing residential areas, resulting in widespread displacement and human suffering.
The situation in the western Darfur region has further deteriorated, with ethnic violence escalating as RSF and allied Arab militias reportedly target ethnic African groups, according to human rights organisations and the United Nations.
Based on UN figures from August, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 4,000 people, though medical professionals and activists believe the actual toll to be significantly higher. The number of internally displaced individuals has nearly doubled since mid-April, reaching at least 7.1 million people, according to the UN refugee agency, with an additional 1.1 million becoming refugees in neighbouring countries.
