Sudan's military has been accused of carrying out an air strike on a market in the western region of Darfur in which more than 100 people have been reported killed.
The emergency lawyers' rights group described the bombing in the town of Kabkabiya on Monday, the weekly market day, as a “horrific massacre”.
Conflicts have escalated in various parts of Sudan in recent weeks between the army and its old ally, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Both sides deny committing war crimes during their 19-month power struggle that has led to the world's biggest humanitarian crisis and displaced more than 11 million people. – out of their homes.
According to Emergency Lawyers, the airstrike occurred when residents from nearby towns came to shop in Kabkabiya, about 180km (112 miles) west of el-Fasher, the only city that remains under military control in Darfur and has been under siege since April.
“This attack on civilians on market day is a serious violation of international law,” said Emergency Lawyers, adding that hundreds of people were also injured in the air strike.
The group has also criticized the RSF for indiscriminately shelling Omdurman, the city just across the Nile River from the capital, Khartoum.
Emergency lawyers said 14 people had died after a shell hit a bus on Tuesday.
He also criticized the RSF for using civilian infrastructure, such as fuel stations, for military purposes.
On Sunday, an airstrike hit a petrol station in an RSF-controlled area of Khartoum, killing at least 28 people.
A volunteer group, the South Belt Emergency Response Room, said 37 people were also injured.
The military has fighter jets, but has denied targeting civilians on purpose.
On Tuesday, a military spokesman said that their strikes were part of a legitimate exercise to defend the country, adding that the army promised to continue targeting RSF sites, which they said to be often hidden in residential areas.
The campaign group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has appealed to the United Nations and the African Union to send troops to Sudan urgently to protect civilians.
In his latest report on atrocities in Sudanit accuses the RSF and Arab militias of killing scores of civilians – and injuring, raping and abducting many more – in waves of attacks in South Kordofan state since December 2023 to March 2024.
The rights group has previously reported abuse as part of a campaign of ethnic cleansing in West Darfur.
“The Rapid Assistance Forces' abuse of civilians in South Kordofan is symbolic of ongoing atrocities across Sudan,” said HRW researcher Jean-Baptiste Gallopin.
“These new findings underline the dire need for a mission to protect civilians in Sudan. “
In May, US special envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello said some estimates suggested that up to 150,000 people had been killed in the conflict.
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