At least 34 dead, including minors, in a shelling against a market in Omdurman, Sudan

July 12 (EUROPA PRESS) –

At least 34 people have been killed, including several children, in a shelling attack on a popular market in the Sudanese city of Omdurman, which is opposite the country’s capital, health authorities have reported.

The attack took place this Monday around 10:00 p.m. (local time) when an artillery shell exploded in the market, killing merchants and carriers, according to a statement from the Khartoum state Ministry of Health.

This attack took place when a regional meeting promoted by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is taking place in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where African leaders are meeting to address the war unleashed on April 15 between the paramilitary Forces of Rapid Support (RSF) and the Sudanese Army, which has refused to participate in the summit.

The conflict has so far left more than a thousand dead, according to official data, but the real figures could be much higher taking into account the intercommunal violence unleashed in the regions of Kordofan and Darfur.

In addition, more than 2.9 million people have been displaced, including nearly 700,000 who have fled to neighboring countries, according to data released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), amid reports of daily atrocities and large-scale sexual abuse against the women and girls of the country.