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Civilian Suffering Escalates Amid Battle to Control Sudan Capital

Sudan's conflict is becoming more dangerous for civilians after reports that dozens were brutally killed in ethnically targeted attacks in the southeastern state of Al Jazirah and amid reports of an imminent battle for control of the capital, Khartoum, the UN Human Rights Office chief Volker Türk sats.

''As the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces battle for control at all costs in the senseless war that has raged for close to two years now, direct and ethnically motivated attacks on civilians are becoming increasingly common,'' said Türk in a statement.

Last week, as fighting for control of areas near Khartium intensfied, widespread celebrations were reported in the Wad Madani, a city 85 miles/135 km southeast  of Khartoum, after the retaking by the SAF from the RSF.

''Wad Madani holds immense strategic importance, positioned at the crossroads of key supply routes between several states and serving as the nearest major city to Khartoum'' reports Radio Dabanga.''The capital remains a focal point of the conflict, with fierce fighting continuing since the war erupted in April 2023.''

Mohamed 'Hemedti' Dagalo, commander of paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which international organizations have accused of genocide across Sudan's Darfur region, acknowledged the setback but vowed to step up the fighting to recapture lost ground. RSF has controlled the city since December 2023.

Sudanese organizations and international diplomats have said both rival forces are motivated by a lust for power and are vying for Sudan's resources, including gold. Both have participated in blocking essential food and medical aid and the dire conditions that make Sudan the world's largest humanitarian disaster.

Wad Madani is ''vitally important'', Mohanad Elbalal, Sudanese analyst and co-founder of Khartoum Kitchen said in a series of posts on the social media platform X, explaining ''why the exuberant celebrations you are seeing across Sudan are justified'' - despite the reality that the Sudanese army has also perpetrated widespread human rights abuses, according to multiple observers.

AllAfrica's reporting on peacebuilding in Africa is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, "investing in the knowledge that inspires informed action in democracy, education, and international peace".

Derk Segaar/IRIN

[Sudan] New IDP arrivals near Abu Shouk camp, North Darfur.

Serban Bogdan / Shutterstock

Sudan

InFocus

Dabanga / (File photo: Social media)

People fleeing Wad Madani on foot, December 16, 2023

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