May 2023 Mayo shelling | |
---|---|
Part of War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) | |
Location | Mayo, Khartoum, Sudan |
Date | May 31, 2023 |
Deaths | 18–27 |
Injured | 100–106 |
Perpetrator | Sudanese Armed Forces (alleged by locals) |
On May 31, 2023, shelling from the El Shajara neighborhood of Khartoum hit the neighborhood of Mayo, south of Khartoum, Sudan, during the Battle of Khartoum. Eighteen to 27 people were killed, and over 100 were injured. The shelling resulted in the largest single-event death toll since the war began on April 15.
The 2023 war in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attempted to overthrow the Sudanese government led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The coup attempt plunged the Sudanese capital Khartoum and its two sister cities, Omdurman and Bahri, into grueling urban warfare. The Mayo neighborhood, south of Khartoum, became a haven for internally displaced Khartoum residents as it was largely unaffected by the warring parties. [1] The al-Shajara neighborhood was one of the last places under Sudanese Army control in Khartoum proper. [1]
The two sides agreed to a ceasefire on May 20, but it was violated repeatedly. The ceasefire was extended on May 29, and sporadic clashes occurred leading up to the shelling. [1]
The shelling reportedly came from SAF-controlled al-Shajara neighborhood. [1] Six tank shells from the neighborhood hit the Souq Sitta market, in Mayo neighborhood. [2] Residents reported that the shelling hit several other areas, including parts of Yarmouk neighborhood, al-Andalus al-Harat neighborhoods, and parts of al-Azhari neighborhood. [3] The dead and injured were ushed to Bashaer Governmental Teaching Hospital, one of few left open in the city. [4] Initially, seventeen people were reported killed, with 106 injured. [5] The toll later rose to 18 [6] to 27 [1] killed, with doctors claiming it could go higher due to lack of medical services.
The following day, local emergency rooms reported further shelling in the area, with five killed and twenty-six injured. Most of the shelling targeted Mayo again, but parts of it hit al-Azhari and Yarmouk neighborhoods. [3]
As a result of the shelling in Mayo, the United States and Saudi Arabia suspended the extension of the ceasefire resulting from the Treaty of Jeddah due to "serious violations" by the RSF and SAF. [7] The day after the shelling, the United States also announced sanctions on top Sudanese officials. [7]
Yarmouk Military Industrial Complex (YIC), also known as the Yarmouk Munitions Factory, is a military complex located in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.
The Rapid Support Forces is a paramilitary force formerly operated by the Government of Sudan. The RSF grew out of, and is primarily composed of, the Janjaweed militias which previously fought on behalf of the Sudanese government. Its actions in Darfur qualify as crimes against humanity in the opinion of Human Rights Watch.
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, generally referred to mononymously as Hemedti, is a Sudanese military officer and the current head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). A Janjaweed leader from the Rizeigat tribe in Darfur, he was the Deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC) following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état. Since 2013, Hemetti has commanded the RSF. He was considered by The Economist to be the most powerful person in Sudan as of early July 2019.
The following lists events during 2023 in the Republic of the Sudan.
A civil war between two major rival factions of the military government of Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and its allies under the Janjaweed leader Hemedti, began during Ramadan on 15 April 2023. Three minor (neutral) factions have participated in the fighting: Darfur Joint Protection Force, SLM (al-Nur) under Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and SPLM-N under Abdelaziz al-Hilu. Fighting has been concentrated around the capital city of Khartoum and the Darfur region. As of 8 September 2024, at least 20,000 people had been killed and 33,000 others were injured. As of 5 July 2024, over 7.7 million were internally displaced and more than 2.1 million others had fled the country as refugees, and many civilians in Darfur have been reported dead as part of the Masalit massacres.
The battle of Khartoum is an ongoing major battle for control of Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, with fighting in and around the city between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces. The battle began on 15 April 2023, after the RSF captured Khartoum International Airport, several military bases, and the presidential palace, starting an escalating series of clashes.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2023.
The Battle of Nyala was a battle for control of Nyala, the capital of South Darfur in Sudan, between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and the Sudanese Armed Forces during the ongoing Darfur campaign. The first battle occurred between 15 and 20 April 2023, during which hundreds were reported dead. A civilian-brokered ceasefire paused the fighting by April 20. Sporadic clashes broke out between May and July. In August 2023, the RSF launched an offensive on the city. The SAF launched air campaigns against the RSF in Nyala, with many civilian casualties in Taiba and El Matar. In late September, the RSF besieged the headquarters the SAF's 16th Infantry Division headquarters, capturing it on October 26.
The siege of El Fasher is an ongoing battle for control of the town of El Fasher in North Darfur during the Sudan conflict. The first battle for the city took place between 15 and 20 April 2023, and resulted in a ceasefire that held until 12 May. Clashes broke out again between 12 and 29 May, and ended with a more stable ceasefire that lasted until August. By September, the city had become a haven for refugees across the region, without enough food and water.
The Treaty of Jeddah or Jeddah Declaration is an international agreement that was made to make peace in Sudan. The Treaty of Jeddah, which was signed by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan and representatives of both warring sides on 20 May 2023, entered into force 48 hours later on 22 May 2023. The agreement was intended to facilitate a week-long ceasefire and the distribution of humanitarian aid within the country. The agreement expired suddenly after a surge of clashes on 23 May 2023, a day after the agreement came into effect. With the actual date of expiry being 27 May 2023, the nations agreed on an extension for five days but was shortened due to the agreement's ineffectiveness.
The siege of El Obeid was a siege in El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, during the 2023 Sudan conflict. The battle began on April 15, and saw the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) capture the El Obeid airport from the Sudanese Army contingent in the city. Throughout April and May, the Sudanese Army repelled several RSF assaults on the city, although by May 30, the RSF fully surrounded the city and laid siege to it.
The Battle of Kutum was a conflict during the War in Sudan which occurred in and around the town of Kutum in North Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces quickly overran the city, and carried out massacres in the city and the neighboring Kassab IDP camp. The group then attacked neighboring villages in early June.
Mayo, or Mayo district or Mayo neighbourhood, is one of the neighbourhoods of Khartoum, Sudan, located in the southern side of Khartoum.
Al-Shajara is a neighbourhood located in West Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan. It is situated near Jabra neighbourhood, which includes one of the headquarters of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Hemedti's house. The headquarters of the Armoured Corps of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) is located in Al-Shajara.
The civil war in Sudan, which started on 15 April 2023, has seen widespread war crimes committed by both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with the RSF being singled out by the Human Rights Watch, and the United Kingdom and United States governments for committing ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
The following lists events during 2024 in the Republic of the Sudan.
The Central Reserve Forces (CRP), also known as Abu Tira due to the eagle on its logo, is a militarised police unit in Sudan known for committing atrocities during the War in Darfur and the Sudanese revolution. The CRP is sanctioned by the US for "serious human rights abuses".
The Popular Resistance, also known as the Popular mobilisation, is a conglomerate of armed factions in Sudan that was formed in response to the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). This conflict, rooted in a power struggle within the country's military structure, erupted into full-scale war on 15 April 2023.
The following is a timeline of the Sudanese civil war (2023–present) in 2024.
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