Delling / Habila / Khartoum — Nine people were killed, multiple others injured, and hundreds of families forced to flee due to violent clashes in and near Delling, South Kordofan, on Tuesday night.
Delling Mayor Abu Gour told Radio Dabanga that the town experienced a cautious calm on Wednesday morning, after an armed group in the Abu Zeid neighbourhood "attacked young people attempting to retrieve a body on the ground". Authorities intervened, sending an ambulance to collect the deceased, he said.
The mayor explained that tensions started on Monday with a brawl between herders on the road between Delling and Habila. The situation then escalated into armed clashes as relatives joined the two sides of the battle. "On Tuesday, an armed group surrounded the village where the brawl began and prevented herders from accessing water, leading to armed clashes."
Abu Gour added that several houses were torched in two villages, forcing residents to flee to Delling. "One of the conflicting parties took the initiative to use heavy weapons, including machine guns, cannons, and snipers," the mayor said, accusing the same party of "employing RSF personnel". He indicated that the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) "seem to be bracing for a potential attack" by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Delling.
Khartoum fighting
In the capital Khartoum, SAF attacked RSF-controlled areas in eastern Khartoum on Wednesday. Local sources reported continued intensive strikes in the eastern Khartoum area this morning.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Simultaneously, the RSF launched a heavy artillery attack on the General Command of the SAF in central Khartoum and the Signal Corps in Khartoum North (Khartoum Bahri).
Last week, dozens of people were killed in a blast at the crowded Khartoum Central Market, as reported by Sudan War Monitor. "An accurate death toll from the incident is impossible at this stage because of the absence of government and health authorities in the area where it occurred", the independent open-source investigation platform said, adding that their team counted "20 people lying motionless" in geolocated videos from the incident, with witness accounts indicating a higher toll.
In Jebel Aulia, the southernmost point of Khartoum, thousands of people continue to flee towards White Nile state, local sources said. The RSF claimed its control of the entire Jebel Aulia military base south of Khartoum, including the bridge linking Khartoum to Omdurman, last week Monday.
