Focus on the BIG picture.
Monday, Mar 31, 2025
Outside the box.
Sudan Military Accused of Mass Casualties in Darfur Airstrike
Reports indicate hundreds dead and injured following airstrike on a crowded market amidst ongoing civil conflict.
A Sudanese war monitoring group has reported that the Sudanese military conducted an airstrike on a market in the western Darfur region, resulting in hundreds of civilian deaths and injuries.
The Emergency Lawyers group, which tracks abuses amidst the ongoing civil war that erupted in April 2023, described the attack on the Tur'rah market as a 'horrific massacre.' Videos circulating on social media, some posted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—a rival paramilitary group that controls significant portions of Darfur—showed the destruction of market stalls along with bodies severely burned and disfigured.
In response to the allegations, a military spokesperson from the Sudanese armed forces refuted claims that civilians were targeted, asserting that the military only struck 'legitimate hostile targets.' Both the Sudanese military and the RSF have faced accusations of shelling civilian areas amid the escalating conflict.
The RSF has incorporated drone technology in its military strategies within Darfur.
However, the Sudanese military maintains an air force that has been regularly deployed in strikes against RSF positions in the region.
The exact date of the Tur'rah market attack remains unverified, although local activist groups reported it occurring on a recent Monday, characterizing it as 'the deadliest single bombing since the start of the war.'
As violence continues to escalate, civilian casualties from bombing and shelling have surged, contributing to a humanitarian crisis.
Since the onset of conflict, approximately 12 million individuals have been displaced in Sudan, a figure comparable to the entire populations of Belgium or Tunisia.
The United Nations reports severe famine conditions affecting the population, with over 50% experiencing 'high levels of acute food insecurity.' Estimates suggest that at least 150,000 individuals have lost their lives due to the ongoing fighting.
In light of the serious allegations, the RSF has denied claims of engaging in genocide in Darfur, which purportedly includes the killing of thousands of civilians and acts of sexual violence against non-Arab women as part of what has been described as 'ethnic cleansing.' The United Nations has classified the situation in Sudan as the world's most severe humanitarian crisis.
The Emergency Lawyers group, which tracks abuses amidst the ongoing civil war that erupted in April 2023, described the attack on the Tur'rah market as a 'horrific massacre.' Videos circulating on social media, some posted by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—a rival paramilitary group that controls significant portions of Darfur—showed the destruction of market stalls along with bodies severely burned and disfigured.
In response to the allegations, a military spokesperson from the Sudanese armed forces refuted claims that civilians were targeted, asserting that the military only struck 'legitimate hostile targets.' Both the Sudanese military and the RSF have faced accusations of shelling civilian areas amid the escalating conflict.
The RSF has incorporated drone technology in its military strategies within Darfur.
However, the Sudanese military maintains an air force that has been regularly deployed in strikes against RSF positions in the region.
The exact date of the Tur'rah market attack remains unverified, although local activist groups reported it occurring on a recent Monday, characterizing it as 'the deadliest single bombing since the start of the war.'
As violence continues to escalate, civilian casualties from bombing and shelling have surged, contributing to a humanitarian crisis.
Since the onset of conflict, approximately 12 million individuals have been displaced in Sudan, a figure comparable to the entire populations of Belgium or Tunisia.
The United Nations reports severe famine conditions affecting the population, with over 50% experiencing 'high levels of acute food insecurity.' Estimates suggest that at least 150,000 individuals have lost their lives due to the ongoing fighting.
In light of the serious allegations, the RSF has denied claims of engaging in genocide in Darfur, which purportedly includes the killing of thousands of civilians and acts of sexual violence against non-Arab women as part of what has been described as 'ethnic cleansing.' The United Nations has classified the situation in Sudan as the world's most severe humanitarian crisis.
