Deadly Artillery Shelling Hits Omdurman Market in Sudan, 56 Killed, At Least 158 Injured
Khartoum, February 1, 2025: A deadly artillery shelling attack in the Omdurman market in Sudan on Saturday killed 56 people and injured at least 158 others. The attack has been blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which is fighting against Sudan’s army.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health reported that many of the victims were women and children, and the attack caused widespread destruction. Khalid al-Aleisir, the Minister of Culture and government spokesperson, condemned the attack, calling it "another addition to the bloody record of this militia" and a "blatant violation of international humanitarian law."
Witnesses said the artillery shelling came from the western part of Omdurman, which is under RSF control, and was supported by drones. One local resident told AFP, "The RSF was firing on multiple streets at once, rockets and shells were falling." A survivor added, "The shells fell in the middle of the vegetable market, which is why there are so many casualties and injuries."
Staff at the nearby Al-Nao Hospital reported being overwhelmed by the number of casualties, with injured individuals still being brought in. A hospital volunteer mentioned that they urgently needed "shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers to transport the wounded."
In a separate incident in Khartoum, two civilians were killed, and several others were injured in an airstrike on an RSF-controlled area, according to the local Emergency Response Room (ERR). The ERR is part of a network of volunteer committees across Sudan coordinating emergency medical care.
The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 over the integration of the two forces, resulting in millions being displaced and the country plunged into famine. Saturday’s attack took place a day after RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo pledged to retake the capital from the army in a rare video address.
As a result of the ongoing clashes in Khartoum, the city has been nearly completely destroyed and emptied. According to the United Nations, 3.6 million people have fled the capital, and approximately 106,000 people are suffering from famine in Khartoum.
