On Saturday, activists brought to light a paramilitary attack in Jabal Awliya, south of Khartoum, where no fewer than 10 people lost their lives. This tragedy pushes the overall death toll past the 9,000 mark in Sudan‘s six-month war.
‘Bombs fell inside civilian homes’ in the small town some 50 kilometres (31 miles) south of the city, the local ‘resistance committee’ said.
This volunteer organization is just one of the many groups operating in Sudan that formerly coordinated pro-democracy protests. Since the outbreak of hostilities between the military and paramilitary units on April 15, these groups have played a pivotal role in aiding those caught in the midst of the conflict.
In the latest offensive on regions previously unaffected by the rivalry between Sudan’s generals, the committee based in Jabal Awliya has reported paramilitaries employing “heavy artillery” against the town.
The confrontation between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has primarily played out in Khartoum and the western Darfur region.
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Late on Friday, ACLED reported that the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data ProjectAf had recorded “in excess of 9,000 fatalities” by October, highlighting their cautious approach to estimating casualties.
In Sudan, almost 4.3 million people have been displaced due to the conflict, with an additional 1.2 million forced to seek refuge in neighbouring countries.
The violence has expanded southward in recent weeks, posing a threat to the vulnerable well-being of over 366,000 individuals who have taken shelter in Al Jazira state, positioned just to the south of the capital.
Eyewitnesses have shared information indicating that the RSF has set up roadblocks along the highway linking Khartoum to Wad Madani, the capital of Jazira state, which lies 200 kilometres (125 miles) to the south of the capital.
Since the war began, Khartoum, housing millions of residents in confinement, has not known a single day of respite.
Witnesses in the city’s northern sector once again described “artillery fire” and street combat on Saturday.