" The death toll from the aerial bombardment" in southern Khartoum late Saturday "has risen to 20 civilian fatalities", according to a statement from the neigh bourhood's resistance committee. They are among many volunteer groups that used to organise pro-democracy demonstrations and now provide assistance to families caught in the line of fire. In an earlier statement, they said the victims included two children, and warned that more fatalities went unrecorded, as "their bodies could not be moved to the hospital because they were severely burned or torn to pieces in the bombing".Since war began between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on April 15, around 5,000 people have been killed, according to conservative estimates from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project. The Sudanese Armed Forces control the skies and have carried out regular air strikes while RSF fighters dominate the streets of the capital.

Western countries have accused the paramilitaries and allied militias of killings based on ethnicity in the western Darfur region, and the International Criminal Court has opened a new probe into alleged war crimes. The army has also been accused of abuses, including a July 8 air strike that killed around two dozen civilians. More than half of Sudan's 48 million people now require humanitarian aid and protection, and six million are "one step away from famine", according to the United Nations. Despite insecurity, looting and bureaucratic obstacles, the world body says it has been able to get aid to millions of those in need.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)