On May 31, 2023, shelling from the
El Shajara neighborhood of
Khartoum hit the neighborhood of
Mayo, south of
Khartoum,
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
, 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.
Prelude
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
Omdurman (standard ar, أم درمان ''Umm Durmān'') is a city in Sudan. It is the most populated city in the country, and thus also in the State of Khartoum. Omdurman lies on the west bank of the River Nile, opposite and northwest of the ...
and
Bahri Bahri ( ar, بحري) is a masculine Arabic given name, Bahri is also a surname in Punjabi Khatri families of India.
Given name
* Huseyin Bahri Alptekin (1957-2007), Turkish artist
* Bahri Tanrıkulu (born 1980), Turkish taekwondo athlete
Surname ...
, 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.
The
al-Shajara
Al-Shajara ( ar, الشجرة) was a Palestinian Arab village depopulated by Israel during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War when its residents were forcefully evacutaed and became refugees. It was located 14 kilometers west of Tiberias on the main highw ...
neighborhood was one of the last places under Sudanese Army control in Khartoum proper.
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.
Shelling
The shelling reportedly came from SAF-controlled al-Shajara neighborhood.
Six tank shells from the neighborhood hit the Souq Sitta market, in Mayo neighborhood. 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.
The dead and injured were ushed to Bashaer Governmental Teaching Hospital, one of few left open in the city. Initially, seventeen people were reported killed, with 106 injured. The toll later rose to 18
to 27
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.
Aftermath
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.
The day after the shelling, the United States also announced sanctions on top Sudanese officials.
References
{{Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
May 2023 events in Sudan
War crimes during the Sudanese civil war (2023–present)
Mass murder in 2023
Khartoum State
21st-century mass murder in Sudan
2023 in Sudan
21st century in Khartoum