Sudan: At least 54 people killed in market attack by Rapid Support Forces paramilitary fighters | World News

At least 54 people were killed when paramilitary fighters attacked an open market in Sudan, authorities say.

The attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Sabrein Market in the city of Omdurman also wounded at least 158 others.

It’s the latest in a series of deadly attacks as the brutal civil war between the RSF and the Sudanese military for control of the country continues.

Khalid al Aleisir, minister of culture and government spokesperson, condemned the attack, saying the casualties included many women and children.

“This criminal act adds to the bloody record of this militia,” he said in a statement. “It constitutes a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Sudan’s Doctors Syndicate said a mortar shell hit metres away from al Naw Hospital, where most of the casualties from the market attack were taken.

The hospital has a significant shortage of medical teams, especially surgeons and nurses, it said.

A video posted on social media showed body bags numbered and placed next to each other outside the hospital, with the wounded being treated, and some people on the hospital floor.

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The current conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 when a power struggle between the leaders of the military and the RSF boiled over into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities.

More than 28,000 people have been killed in the conflict and millions forced to flee their homes.

Some families have been left eating grass in a desperate attempt to survive, as famine sweeps parts of the country.

Last week, about 70 people were killed in an RSF attack on the only functional hospital in the besieged city of Al Fashir in the western region of Darfur.

The International Criminal Court has said it was investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity, while the US has accused the RSF and its proxies of committing genocide.

In recent months the RSF has suffered multiple battlefield blows, giving the military the upper hand in the war.