In a vivid tableau of violence and chaos, the fractured landscape of Sudan has once again been consumed by ferocious warfare. With hitters clashing violently on Monday, it’s a scene reminiscent of a grim battlefield, leaving at least 65 souls extinguished and more than 130 bodies battered, according to statements from medical personnel on the ground. The Southern realms of Kordofan and the sun-beaten horizons of Darfur have become echoes of an unending struggle. But who truly bears the scars of such relentless conflict?
In South Kordofan, the town of Kadugli was caught in the crosshairs. The artillery’s thunderous echoes claimed no fewer than 40 lives and wounded 70, according to two medical voices. Imagine the streets of Kadugli, normally bustling with life’s mundane rhythms, now eerily disrupted. The ringing of artillery fire was a harrowing accompaniment to an already tragic tableau. Governor Mohamed Ibrahim pointed a stern finger at a faction of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N). Led by the formidable Abdel Aziz al-Hilu, this group retains a strong presence within the state.
The sight of Kadugli under siege isn’t novel. It paints a poignant picture of citizenry caught in a violent whirlwind, and Ibrahim didn’t mince his words. “Hilu’s attack on civilians in Kadugli aims to destabilize the area,” he alleged in a statement to AFP, pledging to “clear the mountains around Kadugli” of insurgents. The town was not just a target but a battleground, with its local market awash in sorrow and upheaval.
As the SPLM-N constituents butt heads with both the government forces and the paramilitaries known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) across South Kordofan, the narrative of suffering deepens. And this isn’t just limited to southern Sudan. Stretching out to Darfur, the western reaches of Sudan tell their own tale of despair.
The air in Nyala, the teeming capital of South Darfur, was shattered by a military airstrike that left it reeling. The sun-drenched streets of Nyala turned crimson as 25 lives evaporated into memories, and 63 more were painfully altered. Intriguingly, this attack zeroed in on “the Cinema District in Nyala,” a lively commercial hub under the RSF’s sway, as relayed by a medical source who preferred anonymity over safety concerns.
Monday’s bombardments in South Kordofan and Darfur dovetail with a recently intensified melee in Khartoum, where governmental soldiers reported advances against paramilitary positions. Last week gifted the army a fleeting momentum; breaking the RSF’s siege on its command posts in the capital’s core and north, where silence is a rare commodity amid the echo of gunfire and turmoil.
In an already stormy Saturday, the RSF detonated a siege on Omdurman’s bustling market square with scorching artillery, leaving a grim count of over 60 dead and 150 injured. Meanwhile, across the water in central Khartoum, an air raid in an RSF stronghold left two civilians dead and dozens with grim tangible experiences of survival, emergency crews confirmed.
Year by year, week by week, Sudan’s conflict persists like a tragic opera without end. The unforgiving war, ensnaring countless lives, leaving millions adrift and its infrastructure in disarray, seems to choke hope at every turn. Most medical establishments sit idle, having collapsed under the persistent weight of conflict.
Alarmed by the escalating bloodshed, U.N. spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric voiced grave concerns on Monday over allegations of civilian executions said to be perpetrated by armed groups siding with the military in Khartoum North. Many victims reportedly hail from Darfur or Kordofan, he noted, urging all factions to sheathe their swords and aspire toward tranquil resolution.
Reflect on this: might we classify Sudan’s protracted warfare as a chronicle of consequences? The question lingers, heavy and unresolved. With women, children, and men paying a steeper price for this incessant warfare, what resolution waits on the horizon?
With these poignant ruminations, we draw the curtain on a tale that, for now, remains wrought with pain and hope deferred.
Edited By Ali Musa Axadle Times International – Monitoring
