Sudan army airstrikes kill civilians south of Khartoum

December 28, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – At least seven civilians were killed and several others wounded in Sudanese army airstrikes south of Khartoum on Saturday, activists said.

The strikes hit residential areas in the southern belt of the capital, including the neighbourhoods of Mayo, Al-Ingaz, Al-Azhari, Al-Salama, and Kababish. Since the conflict erupted in April 2023, the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been engaged in heavy fighting.

“Three deaths and more than seven injuries were recorded in the South Belt area as a result of the aerial bombardment this afternoon,” the South Belt Emergency Room said in a statement.

The victims included a man, a woman and a child, the statement said, adding that Bashair Hospital had received two bodies and was treating seven wounded people. Another man died in the Al-Kababish area.

“Updates from the Kababish neighbourhood indicate that four siblings were killed in this afternoon’s airstrike, bringing the total death toll to seven,” the group added in a second statement.

The army has intensified airstrikes against RSF positions in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan in recent weeks, drawing criticism from human rights groups and political factions over civilian casualties.

The army maintains that it only targets RSF sites and equipment.