2 killed, including child, 7 injured in RSF shelling of Dilling in Sudan’s South Kordofan

Two people, including a child, were killed and seven others injured in artillery shelling on the city of Dilling in Sudan’s South Kordofan state, a medical network said Friday.

The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that the shelling was carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), targeting the second-largest city in the state.

It added that the attack killed one adult and a child and injured seven others, including two children.

The network said the shelling has become “a daily occurrence,” spreading panic among civilians and causing varying levels of damage to homes and property amid deteriorating humanitarian conditions and a severe shortage of medical services.

It described the “systematic targeting of civilians” as a “blatant” violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on residential areas and civilian facilities.

The Sudan Doctors Network urged the international community and humanitarian organizations to urgently intervene to protect civilians, pressure all parties to stop targeting densely populated residential areas, and ensure the safe and immediate delivery of humanitarian and medical aid.

The network held the RSF and SPLM-N leadership responsible for the violations and their consequences, including loss of life and property.

On Jan. 26, the army announced it had lifted a two-year siege imposed on the city by the RSF and the SPLM-N.

Of Sudan’s 18 states, the RSF controls all five states in the western Darfur region except for parts of North Darfur, which remain under army control. The army holds most areas of the remaining 13 states across the south, north, east, and center of the country, including the national capital of Khartoum.

The conflict between the army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed thousands of people and displaced millions.

*Writing by Rania Abushamala in Istanbul.