Deadly Airstrike in Khartoum Sparks Outcry: 20 Civilians Reported Killed
Residents of Khartoum awoke to artillery and missile fire on Sunday, hours after at least 20 civilians, including two children, were slain in an airstrike south of the city, according to Sudanese activists.
According to a statement by the neighborhood’s resistance committee, “The death toll from the aerial bombardment” in southern Khartoum has risen to 20 civilian fatalities.” It is one of several volunteer organizations that used to organize pro-democracy demonstrations and now aids families trapped in the crossfire between the army and paramilitary fighters.
In a previous statement, it was stated that among the victims were two children and that additional deaths went unrecorded because “their bodies could not be moved to the hospital because they were severely burned or torn to pieces in the bombing.”
Since combat broke out between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 15 April, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project estimates that approximately 5,000 people have been slain.
The Sudanese military controls the airways and conducts regular airstrikes, while RSF militants dominate the streets of the capital.
Western nations have accused paramilitaries and allied militias in western Darfur of ethnically motivated murders, and the international criminal court has launched a new investigation into alleged war crimes.
The army has also been accused of misconduct, including a July 8 airstrike that killed approximately two dozen civilians.
According to the United Nations, more than half of Sudan’s 48 million people require humanitarian aid and protection, and 6 million are “one step away from famine.”
Read Also: Learning to Reject Sexism Through the Lens of Fatherhood
Humanitarian Efforts Persist Amid Conflict and Displacement in Sudan
Despite insecurity, plundering, and bureaucratic hurdles, according to the United Nations, millions of people in need have received aid.
Approximately 3.8 million people have been displaced internally by the conflict, and another million have fled to neighboring countries.
According to the International Organization for Migration of the United Nations, nearly 2.8 million Khartoum residents are displaced. This represents more than half of the capital’s approximately 5 million prewar population.
Those who remain take refuge from the crossfire and ration water and power.
Some of the only sources of aid in Khartoum have been resistance committees, which have dug survivors from destroyed buildings, braved gunfire to deliver medication, and documented atrocities committed by both parties.
After nearly five months, there are no indications that the violence will cease.
Read Also: Incoming Rain Showers Forecasted for Southern California
Source: The Guardian
