Media: Deadly artillery shelling hits market in Sudan, killing dozens

At least 56 people have been killed and 158 others wounded following a brutal artillery shelling and airstrike targeting a bustling vegetable market in Omdurman on January 31. 

The Sudanese Health Ministry attributed the devastating attack to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), Caliber.Az reports via Al Jazeera.

Khalid al-Aleisir, Sudan's Minister of Culture and government spokesperson, condemned the assault, describing it as a "criminal act" that resulted in extensive destruction and significant civilian casualties, including many women and children.

“This criminal act adds to the bloody record of this militia,” al-Aleisir stated. “It constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Eyewitnesses reported that the artillery fire originated from western Omdurman, an area under RSF control, and was supported by drone strikes. A local resident recounted, “The shells fell in the middle of the vegetable market, that’s why there are so many victims and wounded.” Another witness added that rockets and artillery shells were fired simultaneously on multiple streets.

Medical staff at the nearby al-Nao Hospital said they were overwhelmed by the surge of casualties. A hospital volunteer described an urgent need for “shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers to transport the wounded,” as injured individuals continued to arrive.

In a separate incident in Khartoum, two civilians were killed and dozens more injured during an airstrike targeting an RSF-controlled area, according to the local Emergency Response Room (ERR). The ERR is part of a network of volunteer committees coordinating emergency care across Sudan.

The ongoing conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF erupted in April 2023, triggered by disputes over the integration of the two forces. The war has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, displaced millions, and pushed half of the country’s population into hunger.

Saturday’s attack occurred just a day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo vowed to reclaim the capital from the army, declaring in a rare video address, “We expelled them [from Khartoum] before, and we will expel them again.”

The Sudanese army has recently made significant gains, retaking several key bases in Khartoum, including its pre-war headquarters, and pushing RSF forces to the city's outskirts.

Khartoum has been devastated by the conflict, with entire neighbourhoods emptied and occupied by fighters. The United Nations estimates that at least 3.6 million people have fled the capital, while approximately 106,000 individuals are suffering from famine conditions. An additional 3.2 million are experiencing crisis levels of hunger, according to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

The humanitarian crisis continues to worsen, with no clear end to the violence in sight.

By Khagan Isayev