Feb 02 (V7N) – Intense artillery shelling and air strikes killed at least 56 people across greater Khartoum on Saturday, as Sudan's brutal conflict between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues to devastate the capital.

Among the dead were 54 civilians, killed when RSF shelling hit a busy vegetable market in Omdurman, according to Sudan’s health ministry. Another 158 people were wounded, overwhelming Al-Nao Hospital, one of the last medical facilities still operating in the city.

"The shells hit in the middle of the vegetable market—that's why there are so many victims," a survivor told AFP.

The RSF denied responsibility for the attack, but Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the situation at Al-Nao as "utter carnage."

Across the Nile in Khartoum proper, two civilians were killed in an air strike on an RSF-held area, local emergency workers said. While the RSF has used drones in past attacks, Sudan’s army remains the only force with access to fighter jets.

Both sides have repeatedly been accused of targeting civilians and indiscriminate shelling in residential areas.

Hospital Overwhelmed as Sudan’s Health System Collapses

At Al-Nao Hospital, MSF’s general secretary Chris Lockyear said, “The morgue is full of dead bodies. Injured people are lying in every possible space in the emergency room as medics do what they can.”

A volunteer told AFP the hospital is running out of supplies, including shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers.

One shell reportedly landed just meters from the hospital, adding to fears that Sudan’s fragile medical infrastructure is collapsing. Most health facilities in the country are no longer functional, leaving wounded civilians with nowhere to turn.

Sudan’s Worsening Humanitarian Crisis

The war, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people.

In Khartoum alone, at least 3.6 million civilians have fled while those left behind face constant artillery fire, severe hunger, and worsening famine conditions.

According to the UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, an estimated 106,000 people in the capital are already experiencing famine, with another 3.2 million in crisis-level hunger.

Nationwide, famine has been declared in five areas, mostly in Darfur, with five more expected to follow by May.

Fierce Fighting Continues as Army Pushes RSF Out of Khartoum

After months of stalemate, the army has launched a major counter-offensive, reclaiming several key bases in the capital.

Sudanese forces have also regained control of Al-Jazira’s capital, Wad Madani, and are now advancing toward Khartoum, battling RSF holdouts along the way.

Meanwhile, an army-allied militia, the Sudan Shield Forces, claimed control of several towns southeast of the capital, including Tamboul, Rufaa, Al-Hasaheisa, and Al-Hilaliya.

The group is led by Abu Aqla Kaykal, a former RSF commander accused of atrocities against civilians.

Despite recent army gains, the RSF remains entrenched in western Darfur and parts of the south, keeping Sudan effectively split between the two warring factions.

RSF Leader Vows Retaliation

RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo (Hemedti) vowed to retake Khartoum, telling troops in a rare video address:

"We expelled them before, and we will expel them again."

With no ceasefire in sight, Sudan’s nearly two-year conflict shows no signs of slowing, leaving millions trappedin one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

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