65 killed as Sudan fighting escalates

65 killed as Sudan fighting escalates.

Fierce fighting in South and West Sudan killed at least 65 people and wounded over 130 Monday. The devastating war between the army and paramilitary forces rages on. According to two medical sources, at least 40 people were killed and 70 injured by artillery fire on the state capital Kadugli in South Kordofan.

Governor Mohammed Ibrahim blamed Hilu's faction of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) for the attack on civilians in Kadugli. According to Ibrahim, Hilu's aim was to destabilize the area. In a statement to AFP, he vowed to clear the mountains around Kadugli of rebel forces.

SPLM-N has clashed with both the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in different parts of South Kordofan throughout their war.

Since April 2023, Sudan has been mired in conflict. Battles between the regular army and RSF have escalated in recent weeks.

A military air strike on South Darfur's capital Nyala killed 25 people and wounded 63 Monday, according to a medical source. The attack hit the Cinema District, an area under RSF control, he said anonymously over safety concerns.

The RSF accused the army of using barrel bombs against civilians in several neighborhoods in Nyala.

The RSF holds sway over much of Darfur, including Nyala, which lies 195 kilometers from El-Fasher, the besieged capital of North Darfur. The city has seen some of the worst fighting of the war as the army battles to keep its last foothold in the region.

According to the UN's migration agency, more than 600,000 people have been displaced from North Darfur only between April and January. During this period, IOM reported 95 incidents across North Darfur, with El-Fasher having over half of them.

Monday's attacks in South Kordofan and Darfur also come amid intensified fighting between the army and the RSF in Khartoum. Last week, the army broke a siege of its headquarters in the capital. On Saturday, at least 60 people were killed when the RSF shelled a busy market in army-controlled Omdurman.

Both warring sides have been repeatedly accused of targeting civilians and indiscriminately shelling residential areas. The war has killed tens of thousands of people, uprooted more than 12 million, and devastated Sudan's fragile infrastructure.

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