Shendi, River Nile State – A tragic incident has occurred in northern Sudan, as a landmine explosion on a bus claimed the lives of 10 civilians, according to a medical source. This marks the first such incident during the country’s ongoing conflict, which began in April and has resulted in a devastating loss of life and displacement of millions.
The bus was transporting passengers from eastern Al-Jazira state to Shendi, a city located 180 kilometers from Khartoum, when the explosion occurred. The conflict is between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
The details of the landmine blast, believed to be the first of its kind in this war, have not been officially commented on by either side. Both the army and the RSF have been accused of various war crimes, including indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, torture, arbitrary detention of civilians, and ethnically motivated mass killings, rampant looting, and rapes by the RSF.
After a relative stalemate, the RSF has managed to expand their territory throughout the country, gaining control over the vast western region of Darfur, the streets of the capital, and pressing further south, north, and east. The devastating effects of the conflict are evident in the more than 13,000 lives lost and the displacement of over seven million people, as reported by the United Nations.
The news of this landmine incident serves as a grim reminder of the ongoing suffering and loss experienced by the civilians in Sudan as a result of the conflict. It highlights the urgent need for a resolution to the violence and the protection of innocent lives caught in the crossfire.