The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reported on Thursday that since their delegation arrived in Geneva last week to negotiate a ceasefire and facilitate humanitarian aid, General al-Burhan’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have escalated their airstrikes on civilian areas.
According to the RSF, these indiscriminate bombings have led to hundreds of civilian deaths and severe damage to infrastructure, including public and private buildings. Over the past week, the SAF, guided by army leaders and the extremist Islamic Movement, has conducted more than 27 targeted airstrikes. These attacks have caused significant destruction across residential areas, hospitals, markets, water stations, schools, bridges, places of worship, and livestock enclosures.
The RSF detailed several atrocities since the Geneva negotiations began:
- On August 15, SAF bombings hit Khartoum’s central market, killing over 80 people. The Bika area in Al-Jazira State was also targeted, resulting in 7 deaths. North Darfur saw strikes on Al-Kuma Hospital, killing 6 and damaging patient wards, along with attacks in Morni Bridge and Kabkabiya, leading to 4 deaths, and 12 more in El Fasher.
- On August 16, airstrikes hit Um Banin and Karkoj in Sennar State, killing 18 people. Bombings in Jebel Amer, North Darfur, resulted in 3 deaths, and northern El Fasher saw 16 killed, with the Wad Madani land port destroyed.
- August 17 saw continued attacks on Al-Kuma, North Darfur (9 deaths), and Jebel Amer (6 deaths). Markets in Kandahar and Kror, Omdurman, were bombed, with at least 34 people killed, and Harra 40 in Imbada, West Omdurman, saw 2 deaths.
- On August 18, SAF bombings resumed in El Fasher (10 deaths) and targeted eastern Khartoum neighborhoods.
- August 19 attacks on Mellit, North Darfur, and El Fasher led to 9 more deaths.
- On August 20, SAF strikes on El-Daein, East Darfur, targeted a hospital, market, police station, and school, killing 13 people. Additional raids in Tawisha, North Darfur (7 deaths), Al-Hasahisa, Al-Jazira State (18 deaths), and El Fasher (14 deaths) occurred.
These numbers are preliminary, with many more injured, indicating a likely increase in casualties. The RSF condemns these brutal attacks as a blatant disregard for international and regional peace efforts. They accuse the coup leaders, backed by the extremist Islamic Movement, of using such tactics to create false victories amid battlefield failures, employing a “scorched earth” strategy targeting civilians.
The RSF calls on the international community, human rights organizations, and humanitarian stakeholders to denounce these inhumane acts. They note that the SAF’s reliance on air raids dates back to the 1990s conflicts and has continued to devastate regions like Darfur, the Blue Nile, and South Kordofan, displacing millions and causing extensive civilian casualties.
The ongoing violence has driven the RSF to confront the extremist Islamic Movement, which, they claim, manipulates SAF decisions through loyal generals. According to recent UN figures, over 18,800 people have been killed and at least 33,000 injured in Sudan over the past 16 months, with the UN warning that the country is approaching a “cataclysmic breaking point.”