Sudan war: No respite to shelling in Khartoum and Nyala

Residents inspect homes after shelling in Nyala in August (Photo: social media)

Renewed clashes in Nyala, capital of South Darfur, between the Sudanese army (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered their fifth consecutive day on Tuesday. Shelling persisted in the capital, Khartoum, and its sister city Omdurman, killing at least 11 civilians.

Fighting in Nyala continued for the fifth day on Tuesday. Three displaced people lost their lives and several others sustained injuries when a shell struck a Quran recitation retreat within the Otash camp in north Nyala on Monday.

A man was killed and another injured in the Teksas neighbourhood after a shell hit their residence on Monday.

A resident of Nyala told Radio Dabanga that the RSF mobilised their forces in the Grand Market on Tuesday, subsequently closing it off to merchants and locals. “The artillery exchange between the army and the RSF led to several casualties whose exact toll is still under assessment”, the resident added.

The repeated fighting in Nyala has displaced a significant number of people, particularly from the Karari and Texas neighbourhoods. A resident said that “central Nyala is like a ghost town as many people have fled to safer areas”.

According to preliminary data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), nearly 4,000 households were displaced in Nyala since fighting reignited in the South Darfur capital on August 11.

Khartoum clashes

In Khartoum, the army persisted with shelling targets across the capital on Tuesday. The RSF claimed on Monday to have successfully downed a warplane in Khartoum North.

In El Salha of Omdurman, 11 civilians died and others were injured due to artillery shelling by the army on Sunday and Monday. According to local sources, El Salha experienced a mass exodus of residents seeking to escape the indiscriminate shelling.

Journalist Abdallah Ishag informed Radio Dabanga that intensive artillery shelling, “emanating from El Mohandesin neighbourhood and Wadi Sedna military base towards El Salha”, inflicted casualties and forced civilians to flee towards the southern outskirts of Omdurman and Jebel Aulia.

Ishag called upon the army to cease targeting civilians, asserting that these documented incidents amount to war crimes, as the shelling was concentrated in civilian areas, rather than military zones.