Sudanese paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces launch an attack on Khartoum's presidential palace.

Sudanese paramilitaries from the Rapid Support Forces launch an attack on Khartoum's presidential palace.

The Artillery Battles Raging in Sudan's Heart:

In Sudan's tumultuous landscape, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary has been wreaking havoc yet again, this time aimed at the presidential palace in Khartoum on May 1, according to a confidential insider who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP). This violent act marks the second such attack within a week. The RSF, who've been locked in a bloody two-year war with the army, deployed long-range artillery from their Al-Salha base, south of Omdurman, causing no reported fatalities.

The RSF took aim again on Saturday, focusing on the military's general command headquarters in central Khartoum. This strategic location suffered long-range artillery fire, as per another military source. These aggressive moves come just a few weeks after the army successfully repelled their paramilitary opponents from central Khartoum, which they previously controlled during the war's beginnings in April 2023.

Read more: Sudan War: Artillery fire in Darfur results in over 300 deaths

In the conflict-ravaged and devastated Darfur region of Sudan, at least 542 civilians have fallen victim to violence in the past three weeks, but human rights experts estimate the real toll to be far higher. In a stark statement issued on Thursday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights stated, "The carnage in Sudan seems relentless. Merely three days ago, the RSF unleashed a multi-pronged attack on the besieged city of El-Facher and the camp of Abu Shouk, resulting in at least 40 civilian casualties."

The UN official urged immediate action to protect the hapless civilians trapped in deplorable conditions in and around El-Facher, expressing their deep concern over the RSF's threats of a "bloodbath" prior to their anticipated battle against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).

"The end to this conflict cannot come soon enough," the UN warned.

Since April 15, 2023, the RSF and SAF have been embroiled in a brutal war that has claimed the lives of tens of thousands, heightening the ongoing humanitarian crisis—the UN's current concern most serious. This war has also displaced a staggering 13 million people, effectively splitting the country into two: the army maintains control over the center, the east, and the north, while the paramilitaries have taken almost the entire Darfur in the west of Sudan, as well as some parts of the south.

In a massive military offensive in March, the army regained control of the presidential palace, the airport, and other vital territories in the capital. However, the RSF still holds on to its positions in the south and west of Omdurman.

Read more: Nearly 800,000 refugees have fled to Chad in two years

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also deplored the summary executions of dozens of people, accused of collaborating with the RSF, in the capital region of Khartoum, which was recently recaptured by the SAF. "The footage circulating on social media shows at least 30 men in civilian clothing, arrested and executed by armed men in RSF uniforms in Al-Salha, south of Omdurman," the official stated, referring to a city opposite Khartoum. "In a later video, an RSF commander admitted to the killings," Türk noted.

The conflict's grim consequences on human rights are a stark reality for millions of Sudanese, according to Mr. Türk. "It's high time this conflict ends," he asserted.

Also see: Article reserved for our subscribers Two years of war in Sudan: videos analyzed by "Our Website" document crimes against civilians. "Our Website" in collaboration with AFP.

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[1] Africanews.com[2] Reuters.com[3] Unocha.org[4] The Guardian

1. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) recently launched an artillery attack on the military's general command headquarters in central Khartoum, a move likely to escalate the ongoing war between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan.
2. In contrast to the recent artillery battles in Khartoum, over 542 civilians have been killed in the conflict-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan in the past three weeks, a toll that human rights experts believe is significantly lower than the true number.
3. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed deep concern over the RSF's threats of a "bloodbath" in the Darfur region, particularly in the besieged city of El-Facher and the camp of Abu Shouk, where over 40 civilians were reportedly killed in a recent RSF attack.
4. The war between the RSF and SAF has resulted in the displacement of a staggering 13 million people, effectively splitting Sudan into two, with the army controlling the center, east, and north, and the paramilitaries holding almost the entire Darfur in the west, as well as some parts of the south.

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