The Sudanese Red Crescent Society has started collecting dead bodies in Nyala, the capital of Sudan’s South Darfur State, a Red Crescent official has said.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj Sunday, Al-Sinousi Muhammad Al-Sinousi, health coordinator of the Sudanese Red Crescent in South Darfur State, said they have started collecting dead bodies in Nyala town, pointing out that they began with dead bodies scattered around the army’s 16 Infantry Division.
The health coordinator disclosed that the society has collected 41 bodies scattered around the army’s 16 Infantry Division headquarters in Nyala on Sunday and that they are working to collect more dead bodies.
“We have collected some dead bodies. Today, we have collected 41 dead bodies around the army division headquarters, and we will continue our work until we bury all the dead bodies, God willing,” he explained.
the Sudanese Red Crescent official warned that the presence of dead bodies in the open could cause a health disaster during the coming summer season in Nyala town.
Radio Tamazuj on Sunday afternoon saw dozens of dead bodies in military uniforms around and inside the defensive positions of the 16th Infantry Division.
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday seized control of Sudan’s second-largest city, Nyala, from the army after fierce fighting.
The fighting has forced a large number of people to flee their homes in Nyala. The capture of Nyala by the RSF comes as the two warring sides were set to resume peace talks in Saudi Arabia.
Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state, is a strategic city connecting Sudan with Central African Republic (CAR).
RSF’s second-in-command Abdulrahim Daglo, who was sanctioned by the US for his alleged role in ethnic cleansing in West Darfur, led the capture of Nyala.
Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15 over tensions linked to a planned transition to civilian rule. It has devastated Khartoum’s capital and sparked ethnically driven attacks in the Darfur region.
After six months of fighting, more than 9,000 people have been killed and another 5.6 million forced to flee their homes, according to the United Nations.