Tragedy struck the village of Al-Qutaynah in Sudan’s White Nile state on Sunday, with activists reporting that seven civilians fell victim to bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces.
The incident marks the latest escalation of conflict spreading southward from the capital, Khartoum, amid the ongoing power struggle between feuding generals that has plagued the nation since April of the previous year.
Sudan, located in northeast Africa, has been grappling with the devastating consequences of the internal war, forcing more individuals to flee their homes in a country that already hosts the world’s largest population of displaced people, exceeding 7.4 million, according to the United Nations.
The attack, situated 75 kilometers (47 miles) south of Khartoum, was reported by a local resistance committee, which stated that the casualties resulted from “bombardments by the air force.”
These committees, once organizers of pro-democracy protests, have shifted their focus to providing aid during the conflict, a situation that has left over half of the population in dire need of humanitarian assistance, as noted by the UN.
The conflict, ignited on April 15 between the head of the armed forces, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, leader of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has taken a toll of more than 13,000 lives, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
In the adjacent Al-Jazira state, hundreds of thousands of refugees who had previously sought safety from battles in Khartoum are once again displaced as the RSF advances southward from the capital.
The UN highlighted the concerning impact on humanitarian needs, particularly during the crucial harvesting season in the central and eastern regions of Sudan.
While the Sudanese Armed Forces control the skies and the RSF dominates the streets of Khartoum, the western Darfur region, and now Al-Jazira state, the conflict has shattered one of the few remaining sanctuaries in the nation. Despite diplomatic efforts from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the IGAD regional bloc, attempts to secure a negotiated peace have, regrettably, met with failure.
