Over 100 killed in Sudan bombardments in 2 days amid escalating conflict

At least 127 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Sudan on Monday and Tuesday as barrel bombs and artillery shelling from both sides of the conflict intensified, according to rights groups. 

The 20-month-long war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has grown increasingly deadly as ceasefire attempts falter and global attention shifts to other crises.

The army has escalated airstrikes in regions controlled by the RSF, while the RSF has conducted raids on villages and launched heavy artillery attacks. Both sides have targeted civilian areas, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

On Monday, more than eight barrel bombs struck a market in the North Darfur town of Kabkabiya, according to the pro-democracy Al-Fashir Resistance Committee. Human rights group Emergency Lawyers reported that over 100 people were killed and hundreds more wounded. 

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The army has frequently targeted towns in North Darfur, especially as it seeks to reclaim control of the regional capital, al-Fashir, from the RSF.

The army denied responsibility for the attack on Kabkabiya, asserting that it had the right to target locations used by the RSF for military operations. The RSF did not immediately comment on the bombing.

Disturbing images shared by Emergency Lawyers showed mass graves with bodies wrapped in cloth. A video verified by Reuters depicted bloodied bodies scattered in the market, while flames consumed nearby buildings. Survivors could be heard crying and praying, with one man exclaiming, “People are dying wholesale.” The video also showed armed men, believed to be RSF fighters, on motorcycles in the area.

An activist from Kabkabiya confirmed that most of the victims were civilians, with at least 87 bodies identified, though many were too disfigured to be recognized.

On Tuesday, the RSF launched heavy artillery fire at an army-held area in Omdurman, part of Khartoum state. According to Emergency Lawyers, at least 20 people were killed, including 14 passengers on a bus hit by the shelling. The army-controlled state government reported 65 dead, with other casualties being transported to nearby hospitals.

Images from Omdurman, shared on social media but unverified by Reuters, showed bodies covered in cloth and vehicles destroyed in the attack. 

The conflict has left millions in dire need of assistance, with the United Nations estimating that more than 30 million people require aid and roughly 12 million have been displaced.

In North Darfur, famine was declared in Zamzam camp, where shelling on Tuesday claimed the lives of seven people, according to Adam Rojal, spokesperson for the Coordinating Committee for Displaced People.