‘Horrific carnage’ in a Darfur market is the result of a Sudanese air strike

The Sudanese military has been accused of carrying out an air raid on a marketplace in the western region of Darfur, which resulted in the deaths of more than one hundred persons, according to reports.

A “horrific massacre” was the way that the rights organization Emergency Lawyers referred to the bombing that took place in Kabkabiya town on Monday, which was the day of the weekly market.

Recent weeks have seen an increase in the number of violent clashes that have taken place in several regions of Sudan between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which were formerly the army’s allies.

During their 19-month power battle, which has resulted in the most severe humanitarian disaster experienced on a global scale and has resulted in the displacement of more than 11 million people from their homes, both sides have denied committing any war crimes.

“The air strike occurred as residents from nearby villages came to shop in Kabkabiya,” according to Emergency Lawyers. Kabkabiya is located approximately 180 kilometers (112 miles) west of el-Fasher, which is the only city in Darfur that is still under military control and which has been under siege since April.

“This attack on civilians on market day is a flagrant violation of international law,” claimed Emergency Lawyers. According to them, the air strike had also resulted in the injuries of hundreds of individuals.

The group has also condemned the RSF for its indiscriminate shelling of Omdurman, which is a city located directly over the River Nile from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.

According to Emergency Lawyers, fourteen persons had lost their lives as a result of a shell hitting a bus on Tuesday.

Moreover, it reprimanded the RSF for employing civilian infrastructure for military reasons, like as fuel stations, which were located in civilian areas.

A gasoline station in a region of Khartoum that is held by the RSF was struck by an air attack on Sunday, resulting in the deaths of at least 28 individuals.

According to the South Belt Emergency Response Room, which is a volunteer organization, there were also 37 persons who were hurt.

Although the army is in possession of fighter jets, it has denied that it intentionally targets people.

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the military stated that their airstrikes were a legitimate exercise to safeguard the country. They also stated that the army has pledged to continue attacking RSF locations, which it alleges are frequently camouflaged in residential areas.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), a nonprofit organization that advocates for human rights, has made a request to the African Union and the United Nations to immediately send soldiers to Sudan in order to protect civilians.

According to the most recent report on atrocities in Sudan, the RSF and allied Arab militias are accused of carrying out waves of attacks in South Kordofan state between December 2023 and March 2024, during which they killed a large number of civilians, injured a large number of others, raped them, and kidnapped a large number of others.

The human rights organization has previously uncovered crimes of a similar nature that occurred in West Darfur as part of an effort to erase ethnic groups.

Jean-Baptiste Gallopin, a researcher for Human Rights Watch, stated that the use of violence against civilians by the Rapid Support Forces in South Kordofan is representative of ongoing atrocities throughout Sudan.

“These new findings underscore the urgent need for the deployment of a mission to protect civilians in Sudan.”

Tom Perriello, the United States’ special envoy for Sudan, stated in May that there were preliminary estimates that suggested the violence had resulted in the deaths of up to 150,000 people.