ALBAWABA - At least 13 people have been killed during what counts as the fiercest combats Khartoum and Omdurman have witnessed since the beginning of the war back in April.
The Sudanese Armed Forces have allegedly launched airstrikes and heavy ordnance in an attempt to dominate larger areas across the Nile that are under the control of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and are used to transport troops and ammunition from Omdurman to the capital's other two cities, Bahri and Khartoum.
Both sides have claimed military advancements in recent days, but no signs of a breakthrough are to be seen on the ground. Mediation efforts led by Saudi Arabia and the United States to secure a cease-fire have stalled.
The health crisis has been horrifyingly deteriorating in Khartoum and other neighboring cities as more than 300 people, mostly children under the age of five, have lost their lives as a result of measles and hunger between May 15 and July 17 alone.
“As many families have been on the move for weeks, with very little food or medicine, rising malnutrition rates, disease outbreaks, and related deaths continue to be observed,” said UNHCR spokesman William Spindler.
“A horrifying combination of rising numbers of corpses, severe water shortages, non-functioning hygiene, and sanitation services, and lack of water treatment options are prompting fears of a cholera outbreak in the city,” Spindler added.
Sudanese Armed Forces spokesperson Nabil Abdullah stated on Tuesday that the army has allegedly killed and injured hundreds of RSF members in the ongoing battles in Omdurman. However, the RSF refuted the allegations, claiming that its fighters had killed dozens of armed forces fighters in the city's street fighting.
