Mon Sep 09 15:08:04 UTC 2024: ## Paramilitary Gunfire Rocks Sennar, Sudan, After Deadly Market Shelling
**Sennar, Sudan** – Renewed gunfire erupted in Sudan’s southeastern city of Sennar on Monday, just a day after a devastating shelling attack on a market killed at least 30 people, according to activists and witnesses. The attack, blamed on the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), occurred in a city still not under their control, making it one of the few remaining strongholds for the Sudanese army.
Residents reported hearing gunfire on Monday, raising fears of further casualties, though details remained unclear.
The shelling at the market on Sunday comes amidst over 16 months of brutal conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, a paramilitary force led by General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo. The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives and sparked a massive displacement crisis, described by the UN as the world’s worst.
The Sudanese Emergency Lawyers’ group, documenting atrocities, reported 31 civilians killed and 100 wounded in the market attack. The Sudan Doctors Network, also blaming the RSF, reported an earlier toll of 21 dead and 70 injured.
Separately, the Sudanese Armed Forces were reported to have killed four people, including children, in Sennar, bringing the total death toll in the state from both sides’ attacks to 35.
The RSF has also been accused of attacking El-Fasher, a city in the vast western Darfur region, which they have besieged for months. The Darfur governor, Mini Minawi, reported drone strikes and other attacks by the paramilitaries.
Amidst the mounting civilian casualties, independent UN experts have issued a call for an “impartial force with a mandate to safeguard civilians” to be deployed in Sudan. However, this proposal was rejected by the Sudanese government, aligned with the army, who insists that “the protection of civilians remains an absolute priority”.
Human Rights Watch has expressed alarm at the “widespread war crimes and other atrocities” being committed by both sides, urging the UN Security Council to expand the arms embargo on Sudan and hold perpetrators accountable.
The ongoing conflict continues to escalate, with no end in sight. The humanitarian situation in Sudan is dire, with the World Health Organization calling the emergency “shocking” and expressing concern over the lack of action to address the suffering.
First Piper 