An attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces in South Kordofan province has resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people, including five children and two women, according to a medical group. The Sudan Doctors Network reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allies in the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North shelled residential areas in the city of Dilling during an hours-long assault, leaving at least 23 others wounded, among them seven children.
The Sudanese military, which earlier this year broke an RSF siege on Dilling that had cut off supplies and led to frequent bombardments, claimed to have fended off the attack on the provincial capital. However, this incident highlights the escalating conflict in the region and the growing peril for civilians, raising significant concerns among international observers about the deteriorating security situation.
The doctors’ group warned of a potential “catastrophic scenario” similar to the one that unfolded in the Darfur city of el-Fasher. The RSF invaded that area in October, and United Nations-commissioned experts stated the attack bore “hallmarks of genocide.” According to a report from the UN Human Rights Office, more than 6,000 people were killed over three days in el-Fasher when the RSF unleashed “a wave of intense violence … shocking in its scale and brutality.”
The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023, unleashing a wave of violence that has precipitated one of the world’s fastest-growing man-made humanitarian crises. Over 12 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, and more than 33 million are in need of humanitarian assistance. UN figures indicate that more than 40,000 people have been killed over the past three years, though aid groups caution that the actual death toll could be substantially higher.
Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, which are under investigation by the International Criminal Court. Recent fighting has concentrated in Darfur and the Kordofan region, where deadly attacks, predominantly involving drones, are reported daily. The UN Human Rights Office noted that as of mid-March this year, over 500 civilians had been killed in drone strikes, underscoring the lethal impact of modern warfare tactics on non-combatants.
Source: www.aljazeera.com