5 Sudanese killed in clashes in North Darfur

KHARTOUM, Sudan

Five civilians were killed in fresh clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group in North Darfur in western Sudan on Saturday, according to officials.

North Darfur Governor Nimir Abdel Rahman said the violence erupted in Tawila locality, 60 kilometers west of Al-Fasher city.

He said the main marketplace in the locality and several properties were looted.

Sudan has been ravaged by clashes between the army and the RSF since mid-April. Nearly 1,000 civilians have been killed and thousands injured in the violence, according to local medics.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that more than 2.2 million people have been displaced by the current conflict in Sudan.

On Wednesday, the United Nations warned that escalating attacks in Darfur could amount to “crimes against humanity”.

Disagreement had been fomenting in recent months between the army and the RSF over integration of the paramilitary group into the armed forces — a key condition of Sudan's transition agreement with political groups.

Sudan has been without a functioning government since fall 2021, when the military dismissed Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok's transitional government and declared a state of emergency, in a move decried by political forces as a "coup."

The transitional period, which started in August 2019 after the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir, had been scheduled to end with elections in early 2024.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar