At least seven civilians, including two children, were killed in artillery shelling carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Omdurman, a city north of Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, state authorities confirmed on Monday.
According to an official statement from the state’s media office, the attack took place on Sunday and left 43 others injured, including 18 children aged between four and 12. The injured were immediately transported to nearby hospitals for urgent medical treatment.
Authorities described the shelling as “systematic” and stated that the attack targeted residential neighbourhoods in Karari locality. At the time of the attack, many people had gathered for a volunteer prayer, and children were playing football in open spaces, which led to a high number of casualties, Xinhua news agency reported.
A paramedic working at Al-Nao Hospital in Omdurman told Xinhua that many of the injured suffered limb injuries caused by flying shrapnel.
Some victims underwent amputations, while others sustained severe head injuries requiring advanced medical treatment that was unavailable at the hospital.
The paramedic, who spoke anonymously, described the situation as dire, with hospitals struggling to handle the influx of wounded civilians.
The RSF has not yet issued a statement regarding the attack.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have repeatedly accused the RSF of targeting Karari locality, one of the few remaining densely populated areas in Omdurman.
The locality also houses several key Sudanese army bases, including the Wadi Seidna military area, which contains an important military airport.
Sudan has been in the grip of a brutal conflict since April 2023, when tensions between the SAF and RSF escalated into full-scale warfare.
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 29,683 people, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), a crisis monitoring organisation cited by the United Nations.
In addition to the high death toll, the war has forced over 15 million people to flee their homes, both within Sudan and across its borders.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has described the displacement crisis as one of the worst in recent history, with millions facing severe shortages of food, water, and medical care.
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