Child killed in North Kordofan as bombing continues

Military aircraft bombed targets in Um Rawaba and El Rahad in the southern part of North Kordofan yesterday morning. In El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, a child died and two others were injured due to an explosion. 

The Sudanese Air Force reportedly launched airstrikes on Um Rawaba, targeting the southern neighbourhoods and the area east of the town. 

A listener in Um Rawaba, who preferred to withhold his name for security reasons, told Radio Dabanga that the bombing targeted farms in the east of Um Rawaba and the Neem Forest, where the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are based. 

He reported losses in RSF equipment, but the details could not be confirmed. No civilian casualties were reported. 

Residents of the area told Radio Dabanga that one of the shells fell on the house of a lawyer. His wife and two daughters were injured. A number of houses were damaged due to the bombing. 

In El Obeid, capital of North Kordofan, an unexploded projectile was accidentally detonated, killing a child and injuring two others. One of the injured had his foot amputated. 

El Obeid has been the scene of on-and-off battles between the warring SAF and RSF since war broke out in mid-April last year. Mid-April this year, artillery shelling took place between the RSF and the paramilitary Central Reserve Police forces. “Civilians were slaughtered in the attacks of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) on RSF soldiers in the Ramla area and the areas northwest of El Obeid, and people are expecting retaliatory attacks from the RSF,” residents told Radio Dabanga on April 28. 

In September and October, the fighting was fierce in the state capital. Many people in the city were killed and injured, and shops and markets closed their doors. 

The RSF currently control the area of Um Rawaba in North Kordofan, En Nehoud in West Kordofan, and northern parts of South Kordofan, while military aircraft launch repeated air raids on the areas controlled by the RSF. 

The SAF and RSF have been exchanging heavy artillery shelling for nine consecutive days in Babanousa, West Kordofan, according to Sudan War Monitor. Army soldiers have resorted to shelters within the 22^nd Infantry Division garrison to avoid the shelling, while RSF soldiers sheltered in citizens’ homes and under trees to avoid aircraft bombardment.