SUDAN: The United Nations has warned that Sudan is on the verge of a “full-scale civil war” that could destabilise the entire region after an attack on a residential area resulted in the deaths of about two dozen civilians.
In the Dar al-Salam neighbourhood of Khartoum’s sister city, Omdurman, the health ministry reported “22 dead and a large number of wounded among the civilians” from the airstrike.
Following almost three months of conflict between Sudan’s warring factions, the recent airstrike has sparked widespread anger. The toll of the violence has been devastating, with a reported death toll of at least 3,000 people and 6,000 injured. Survivors have come forward to recount incidents of sexual violence, while witnesses have shared accounts of targeted killings based on ethnicity.
The region has also witnessed extensive looting, prompting the United Nations to issue a warning about potential crimes against humanity in the Darfur area.
After the airstrike on Saturday, the health ministry posted a video on Facebook showing what appeared to be dead bodies, including several women. The narrator says locals “counted 22 dead”.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group engaged in conflict with the regular army, claimed responsibility for the strike and alleged that it resulted in 31 fatalities, placing the blame on the military. However, the military refuted these accusations and issued a statement on Sunday asserting that their air force had not conducted any airstrikes in the city on the preceding day.
Since the war started, paramilitaries have established bases in residential regions, leading to allegations of forced displacement of civilians from their homes.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned the Omdurman airstrike, a city located just across the Nile from Khartoum, stating it “reportedly killed at least 22 people” and injured dozens, his deputy spokesman, Farhan Haq, said in a statement.
“Guterres remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilising the entire region,” Haq stated.
“There is an utter disregard for humanitarian and human rights law that is dangerous and disturbing,” he added.
On Sunday, clashes between the military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) occurred in various regions of Sudan, specifically North Kordofan, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile.
According to the International Organisation for Migration, approximately 3 million people have been displaced as a result of the conflict in Sudan, with nearly 700,000 seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.
Both the United Nations and African regional blocs have expressed concerns about the conflict in the western region of Darfur, highlighting its potential “ethnic dimension.” The United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom have attributed most of the widespread violations in Darfur to the RSF and allied militia groups.
Haq voiced his backing for the African Union and the east African bloc Igad’s initiatives to resolve Sudan’s crisis.
On Monday, the leaders of Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan, who are members of Igad responsible for addressing the Sudan situation, are scheduled to convene in Addis Ababa.
Invitations have been extended to Sudan’s army chief, Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF commander, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, but neither party has confirmed their attendance.
Despite multiple ceasefire declarations throughout the conflict, they have been consistently disregarded.
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