20 civilians killed in bombardment exchange in Sudan

A Sudanese lawyers group on Sunday announced that more than 20 civilians were killed in Omdurman city, north of the capital Khartoum, as a result of exchanged bombardment between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reported Xinhua.

"Due to the escalation in the clashes between the two parties and the exchanged indiscriminate shelling from both sides, many shells fell in district (15) of Al-Thawra Neighborhood of Omdurman, killing more than 20 citizens and injuring others," Sudan's Emergency Lawyers, a non-governmental group, said in a statement on Sunday.

The group held both the SAF and RSF responsible as they continued fighting in populated areas. It called on both sides to stop the war and search for a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

The group did not mention the date on which the civilians were killed, but the Al-Thawra neighborhood's Emergency Room, a local popular group, said the bombardment took place on Saturday.

"It has been confirmed that more than 15 civilians have been killed in district 15 of Al-Thawra neighborhood as a result of shelling on their homes," the emergency room said in a statement on Sunday.

Deadly clashes have been going on between the SAF and the RSF in Khartoum and other areas since April 15, killing up to 9,000 people, forcing more than 5.6 million out of their homes and leaving 25 million in need of aid, said UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths in a statement on Oct. 15.