Death toll from RSF shelling in Sudan’s Sennar rises to 40

September 9, 2024 (SENNAR) – The death toll from an artillery attack by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of Sennar has risen to around 40, activists said on Monday, with the possibility of further fatalities due to serious injuries.

On Sunday, the RSF shelled the city, with around five shells hitting the vegetable and fish markets, a public transport station and residential neighbourhoods.

The Sennar Youth Gathering said the shelling targeted areas crowded with civilians and that hospitals were struggling to cope with the high number of casualties.

The attack came shortly after the Sudanese army carried out air strikes on RSF positions in the southern and western parts of Sennar and the nearby city of Al-Suki.

Widespread condemnation

The attack has drawn widespread condemnation. The Unionist Alliance Party called the shelling a “cowardly act” amounting to a war crime, and stressed that cities should not be “a theatre for wars”.

The Sudanese Congress Party also condemned the RSF’s “continuous targeting of civilian objects and civilians” as a war crime.

Emergency Lawyers, a human rights group, said the shelling was a “flagrant violation” of international law and called for an independent investigation. They urged both the RSF and the Sudanese army to immediately cease attacks on civilians and comply with international humanitarian law.

The group also called on the international community, including the U.N. Security Council, to take urgent action to protect civilians in Sudan and hold those responsible for the attacks accountable.

The attacks on urban areas mainly the RSF militiamen displaced millions of Sudanese across the country.

After sixteen months of conflict in Sudan, over 10 million people have been forced from their homes, with nearly 2 million seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.