A clash that broke out on Wednesday in Central Sudan between a paramilitary group known as Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the country’s army has claimed the lives of at least 150 villagers.
The clash, which began when the two generals leading the army and RSF fell out, has lasted over 13 months as they continue to struggle to gain a stronghold in the country.
Viral videos on social media showed dozens of bodies wrapped in white shrouds prepared for burial in Wad al-Nourah in Gezira state, with the RSF boasting on Thursday that it attacked two army formations.
Giving an update on the massacre, the Madani Resistance Committee said it was “waiting for a confirmed toll of the dead and injured.”
The circumstances behind the killings remain unknown, but it is believed that the village was attacked twice by the RSF fighters on Wednesday.
Speaking to the BBC, Hafiz Mohamad of leading human rights group Justice Africa Sudan said that people are still missing and it was “difficult to count all the dead” because “RSF elements are still around the area looting.”
The group, which has taken control of Gezira state, to the south of the capital, Khartoum, since December, has been accused of carrying out numerous abuses against residents, which it denies.
Over 15,000 people have been estimated to have been killed since the conflict started in April 2023, while several rounds of peace talks have failed to end the war.
Agencies of the United Nations have stated that the crises have now led to the world’s largest displacement crisis and that millions are now facing a hunger catastrophe.
Speaking on the crisis in the country, Martin Griffiths, the under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, said earlier in the week that about five million people have a high risk of famine.
“I don’t think we’ve ever had this kind of number at risk of famine. This was an avoidable conflict. It is a place where two men decided that they were going to resolve their differences through fighting and take their country down,” Mr Griffiths stated.
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Publish date : 2024-06-06 20:07:05
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