Sudanese Armed Forces Deny Role in Civilian Deaths Near Khartoum

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) refuted claims on Sunday that they were responsible for the deaths of at least 46 civilians in an airstrike on a market in the Mayo area, south of the capital Khartoum. The denial comes after South Khartoum’s resistance committee accused SAF warplanes of carrying out the fatal attack, supported by photographs of casualties and corpses covered with cloth.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) also blamed the SAF for shelling civilian areas in Mayo. In a statement, the RSF said that dozens of wounded were taken to a nearby hospital following aerial bombardments by SAF. However, the SAF categorically rejected these allegations. In a statement from its spokesperson’s office, the SAF insisted it only targets “rebel gatherings, crowds, sites, and bases” and adheres to international humanitarian law.

Deadly clashes between SAF and RSF have been ongoing since April 15, resulting in at least 3,000 deaths and more than 6,000 injuries, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.