A volunteer rescue network in Sudan reported that 28 civilians lost their lives on Sunday when a fuel station in Khartoum, under paramilitary control, was struck by shelling. The attack, which also injured 37 people—most suffering burns and shrapnel wounds—occurred in the southern part of the capital, controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Since April 2023, the Sudanese army has been locked in a brutal conflict with the RSF. In recent weeks, the army has been advancing toward Khartoum in an effort to reclaim the city, which the RSF had largely seized earlier in the war.
Escalating Humanitarian Crisis
The war, rooted in a power struggle between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has devastated Sudan. Over 11 million people have been displaced, with the United Nations describing it as the world’s largest displacement crisis. Thousands of civilians have also been killed as fighting continues to ravage the country.
The government, loyal to Burhan, operates from Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, where the army maintains control. However, the RSF has dominated vast territories, including most of Darfur, central Sudan’s agricultural regions, and parts of the southeast.
Strategic Gains
In late November, the army announced the recapture of Sinja, the capital of Sennar state south of Khartoum. Sinja is a critical location, sitting on a major route linking eastern and central Sudan, areas under army control.
As the conflict drags on, the toll on Sudan’s civilian population continues to grow, with little sign of resolution in sight.