Last Tuesday, El Daein, the capital of East Darfur state, witnessed a devastating military aircraft bombing that claimed the lives of at least 40 civilians, including three brothers from the same family.
Additionally, 59 others were injured in the aftermath of the attack, which occurred following the fall of the 20th Infantry Division to the Rapid Support Forces. Violent battles unfolded between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces in the vicinity of the command.
Chief Mohammed Ibrahim Hasouba, speaking to Radio Tamazuj, provided a grim account of the incident: “A military plane came at exactly nine-thirty in the morning and dropped explosive barrels on the Al Gubba neighbourhood and the Airport neighbourhood in the south of the city, killing 29 civilians and wounding 58 others.”
The same aircraft further wreaked havoc by destroying a citizen’s farm in the Buti area, situated 50 kilometers south of the city of Al-Daein.
Expressing outrage, Chief Mohammed Adam Mahmoud denounced the military aircraft’s indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Al Daein.
He emphasized the disconnect between the ongoing war between two military forces in the south of the city and the innocent citizens caught in the crossfire, stating, “The citizens have nothing to do with it.” Adam called for an immediate cessation of the war, highlighting the psychological trauma inflicted on children and women in the city, saying, “it causes terror and fear.”
In the aftermath of the devastating airstrikes in El Daein, a Radio Tamazuj correspondent witnessed a heart-wrenching scene at Al Daein Hospital, where 12 bodies lay unrecognized, highlighting the chaos and sorrow that has ensued.
The correspondent reported, “There are many bodies of officers from the armed forces on the outskirts of the city of Al-Daein, and they were killed during their withdrawal from the headquarters of the 20th Infantry Division.”
Ahmed Mohammed Madibo, an uncle of the young brothers killed in the airstrike, recounted the tragic incident involving his sister’s sons. The brothers were in a private vehicle in Al Daein when it was bombed with an explosive barrel while they were walking. The airstrike claimed the lives of all three brothers and two of their companions on the spot. Madibo emphasized that the victims were students, all civilians with no connection to the ongoing war.
He expressed his poignant hope for a swift resolution to the conflict between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, stating, “We would not lose more civilian lives.”
Sources informed Radio Tamazuj about the broader impact of the airstrikes, detailing that there were five civilian bodies in the Abu Zaniba area south of the army command and six in the north. This grim revelation brings the death toll to a staggering 40 people. The urgent need for a peaceful resolution becomes increasingly apparent as innocent lives continue to be lost in the escalating conflict.