Rocket fire in Sudan's Darfur kills 16 civilians

War in Sudan has left at least 3,000 dead across country

Sudanese women, who fled the conflict in Darfur region, load their cooking wood onto a water tanker to be driven to makeshift shelters, in Adre, Chad, on July 20, 2023. Reuters

Sixteen civilians were killed as rockets fell on their homes in the West Darfur region of Sudan, a lawyers' union said on Saturday.

The vast region, the scene of conflict in the early 2000s, has suffered some of the worst of the violence since fighting between rival military forces began in mid-April.

“During an exchange of rocket fire between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), 16 civilians were killed on Friday, according to a preliminary toll, in Nyala,” the South Darfur state capital, the union said.

At least one man was killed by a sniper, it said.

In the West Darfur capital of El Geneina, near Chad, snipers have reportedly been shooting at residents from rooftops since fighting began, and tens of thousands of people have fled across the border.

The war, which broke out in the capital Khartoum on April 15 and spread to Darfur that month, has left at least 3,000 dead across Sudan, according to one estimate.

Sudanese army soldiers, loyal to army chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, pose for a picture at the Rapid Support Forces base in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 16. AFP

Smoke billows above residential buildings in Khartoum on April 16 as fighting in Sudan raged for a second day in battles between rival generals. AFP

Sudanese greet army soldiers in Port Sudan on April 16. AFP

Destroyed planes at Khartoum International Airport on April 17. Reuters

People flee Khartoum during clashes between the paramilitary RSF and the army on April 19. Reuters

A column of smoke rises behind buildings near the airport area in Khartoum on April 19 following the collapse of a 24-hour truce. AFP

People flee their neighbourhoods amid fighting between the army and RSF in Khartoum on April 19. AFP

Black smoke covers the sky above Khartoum on April 19. AFP

Residential buildings damaged in fighting in Khartoum on April 20. AP

Sudanese army soldiers sit on top of a tank in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan on April 20. AFP

People carry Othman Mohamed, a senior general loyal to Gen Al Burhan, on their shoulders in Port Sudan on April 20. AFP

A Sudanese evacuee is embraced after disembarking from a Spanish Air and Space Force plane at Torrejon de Ardoz Airbase, Spain, on April 24. Reuters

People gather as they flee clashes between the RSF and the army in Khartoum on April 24. Reuters

A member of the Saudi Royal Navy carries a child who was evacuated from Sudan, in Jeddah on April 24. Photo: SPA

Greek citizens arrive in Greece from Sudan on board a military plane on April 25. AFP

Ali Mazloum, a Lebanese citizen who was evacuated from Sudan, is welcomed upon his arrival at Beirut airport on April 25. Reuters

Palestinian evacuees from Sudan arrive at Rafah crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on April 28. EPA

Black smoke rises over Khartoum on April 28. AFP

A woman and child evacuated from Sudan arrive in Abu Dhabi on April 29. Reuters

Activists demonstrate in front of the White House in Washington, calling on the US to intervene to stop the fighting in Sudan on April 29. AFP

Children fleeing Sudan arrive at Wadi Karkar bus station in Aswan, southern Egypt, on April 30. EPA

Clouds of black smoke billow over Khartoum as fighting continues on May 1. Reuters

A Sudanese refugee who crossed into Chad cooks a meal in a makeshift shelter at a camp in Koufroun, near Echbara, on May 1. AFP

People board a Russian military aircraft during an evacuation operation at Khartoum airport on May 2. EPA

A boy holds bullet cartridges as clashes between the RSF and the army continue in Khartoum on May 13. Reuters

A Sudanese girl who fled the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region carries a pot on her way to collect water near the border between Sudan and Chad on May 12. Reuters

Members of staff offload aid supplies provided by the World Health Organisation and UAE Aid from a plane that arrived from the Emirates at Port Sudan on May 5. AFP

The UAE sent three aid planes to support the Sudanese people on May 8. Photo: Wam

RSF fighters gather near the presidential palace in Khartoum on May 1. AFP

A man inspects the damage as he walks near a destroyed building and car in the Azhari district of Khartoum on June 6. AFP

Wounded Sudanese refugees who fled conflict in West Darfur receive medical support from Doctors Without Borders and health ministry staff at a hospital in Adre, Chad, on June 16. Reuters

Evacuees from Sudan arrive at Baghdad International Airport on June 18. AFP

Suad Fissa, 40, an asylum seeker and factory worker from Darfur, cries as she speaks about her missing children in Tel Aviv, Israel, on June 24. Reuters

It pits the Sundanese Armed Forces led by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan against his former deputy Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary RSF.

Fighting in Darfur, an RSF stronghold, has recently concentrated around Nyala, after clashes in El Geneina where the UN had reported atrocities.

Battles have also continued in and around Khartoum. Residents on Saturday reported army air strikes on villages in the Al Jazirah state's north, just south of the capital.

The fertile land between the White Nile and Blue Nile rivers now hosts several hundred thousands of the estimated 3.3 million people the war has displaced.

If fighting expands into Al Jazirah, they may be forced to flee again.

The humanitarian workers who support them would have to move as well, but fear the many bureaucratic challenges in relocating their operations.

Analysts said both warring sides would like the battlefield to expand.

“The RSF has held the upper hand in Khartoum since the early days of the war, but that advantage is only growing more apparent,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) think tank said.

The army on July 15 launched a major offensive in North Khartoum, flattening entire suburban neighbourhoods with air raids, “but it failed spectacularly”, ICG said.

The RSF, meanwhile, are trying to seize the main Darfur-Khartoum road to ensure a constant supply of fighters and weapons.

Both Gen Al Burhan and Gen Dagalo have representatives in Saudi Arabia, where truce talks have been scheduled to take place.

But on Friday, the government in Khartoum denied “any information concerning a near truce”.