Aid organisations in Sudan reported on Tuesday that at least 54 people were killed in a military airstrike on a local market in the country’s western region.
The attack on Monday targeted the village of Tora, causing a large fire, as stated by Adam Rejal, a spokesperson for the General Coordination, a local organisation assisting displaced people in Darfur.
Brig. Gen. Nabil Abdullah, a spokesman for the Sudanese military, denied targeting civilians, describing the allegations as “incorrect” and claiming they are often made when the military exercises its constitutional and legal right to address hostile threats.
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The airstrike severely damaged much of the weekly market in Tora, which lies 80 kilometres (50 miles) north of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province.
Support Darfur Victims, a local group aiding those affected by the Darfur conflict, released graphic video footage that appeared to show burnt structures and charred bodies on the ground.
More than half of the deceased were women, according to a casualty list provided by Rejal. The list also showed that at least 23 people were injured and seven went missing.
Rejal described the strike as “a crime against humanity and a clear violation of all international and humanitarian laws and conventions.”
El-Fasher is under the control of the Sudanese military, despite daily attacks from the rival paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The strike on Monday is the latest in a series of deadly attacks in the ongoing war, which began in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the RSF escalated into full-scale conflict across Sudan.
The war has devastated the capital and other urban areas, claiming over 28,000 lives, displacing millions, and forcing some families to resort to eating grass to survive as famine spreads throughout the country. Some estimates suggest a much higher death toll.
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The conflict has been marked by atrocities such as mass rape and ethnically motivated killings, which are considered war crimes and crimes against humanity, particularly in the western region of Darfur, according to the United Nations and international human rights groups.
The Sudanese military has made gradual advances against the RSF in recent months, including regaining control of most key strategic and government buildings in the capital, Khartoum, in March, including the Republican Palace, which housed the pre-war government.