At least 127 individuals, primarily civilians, were killed in Sudan over two days this week due to devastating shelling and airstrikes carried out by both sides of the ongoing conflict. The violence, which occurred on Monday and Tuesday, continues to escalate as the war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters its 20th month. Despite numerous attempts to broker ceasefires, these efforts have failed to halt the bloodshed.
Rights organizations have reported that both warring factions have been increasingly targeting civilian areas, with airstrikes and artillery bombardments causing significant casualties. The army has ramped up its air assaults in regions under RSF control, while the RSF has retaliated with raids on villages and intensive shelling of urban centers, often causing widespread destruction.
The worst of the recent violence unfolded in the North Darfur town of Kabkabiya on Monday. More than eight barrel bombs struck the market in the heart of the town, leaving over 100 dead and hundreds more injured. The human rights group Emergency Lawyers confirmed the scale of the devastation, with many people still trapped in the rubble or missing. Al-Fashir Resistance Committee, a pro-democracy group, reported that the bombs were dropped by the Sudanese army, though the military has denied any involvement, claiming its airstrikes were aimed at military targets linked to the RSF.
Witnesses on the ground and local activists argue that the market, which was bustling with civilian life at the time, was not a military site. An activist from Kabkabiya described how the majority of people in the market were non-combatants, with only a few soldiers occasionally passing through. Images and videos shared by humanitarian organizations showed the grim aftermath: bodies of the deceased lying in the open, many covered in sheets, while others were seen being pulled from destroyed buildings.
On the following day, the RSF targeted an army-controlled area of Omdurman, a city in Khartoum state. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people, including 14 passengers on a bus hit by artillery fire. Some reports suggest the number of fatalities could be as high as 65, but these figures remain unconfirmed. Social media posts shared images of the dead, their bodies lying amid vehicle wreckage and scattered debris.
The ongoing conflict has contributed to an escalating humanitarian disaster, with more than 30 million people across Sudan now requiring urgent aid, according to the United Nations. The crisis has displaced nearly 12 million people, and conditions in refugee camps are worsening. In North Darfur’s Zamzam camp, famine has been officially declared, further compounding the dire situation. Just a day before, shelling in the camp resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, according to Adam Rojal, a spokesperson for displaced people in the region.
The intense violence in Sudan has created a devastating toll on the civilian population, with both sides of the conflict showing little regard for the lives of innocent bystanders. As the humanitarian crisis deepens, international efforts to provide assistance and broker peace have so far been insufficient, leaving Sudanese civilians to bear the full brunt of the violence.
