Paramilitary group attacks market in Sudan: 54 dead, 158 injured

Paramilitary group attacks market in Sudan: 54 dead, 158 injured

An attack on a public market in the Sudanese town of Omdurman by a paramilitary group fighting the country's military government left around 54 people dead and many injured on Saturday, health authorities reported.

Details about the attack on the Sabrein market

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked the Sabrein market, injuring at least 158 ​​other people, the Ministry of Health said in a statement. This was the latest incident in a series of deadly attacks as part of the escalating civil war that has devastated the northeast African country. There was no immediate comment from RSF.

Reactions from the government and health authorities

Khalid al-Aleisir, the culture minister and government spokesman, strongly condemned the attack, noting that many women and children were among the victims. He noted that the attack resulted in “massive destruction to private and public property.” “This criminal act adds another tab to the bloody branch of this militia,” he said in a statement. “It represents a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Medical care and humanitarian crisis

The Sudanese Doctors' Union also condemned the RSF attack. She reported that a shell fell just meters from the al-Naw hospital, which received most of the market's wounded. Most of the victims brought to the hospital were women and children, and the hospital was battling a severe shortage of medical staff, particularly surgeons and nurses.

Origin of the conflict in Sudan

The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, when decades-long tensions between military and RSF leaders spilled into open fighting in the capital Khartoum and other cities in the sprawling northeast African country. Saturday's attack was the latest tragedy in the country's brutal civil war. In the past week were about 70 people killed in an RSF attack on the only functioning hospital in the besieged town of El Fasher in the western Darfur region.

The effects of the civil war

The conflict has killed more than 28,000 people, forced millions to flee their homes and driven some families to eat grass as famine grips parts of the country. The situation was marked by the most serious crimes, including ethnically motivated killings and rape, according to the United Nations and human rights groups.

International reactions and ongoing investigations

The International Criminal Court announced that he alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity examined. The Biden administration accused the RSF and its allies of genocide to have committed in the war.

RSF military advances and territorial losses

In recent months, the RSF has suffered several setbacks on the battlefield, giving the military the upper hand in the war. The RSF has lost control of many areas in Khartoum, the sister city of Omdurman, as well as in the eastern and central provinces. The military also has control of the city Wad Medani, the capital of Gezira Province, and the largest oil factory in the country recaptured.