On February 1, 2025, at least 54 people were killed and 158 injured in an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Sabreen market in Omdurman, Sudan, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health. The ministry condemned the assault and expressed condolences for the victims, wishing a swift recovery for the wounded.
Sudanese Information Minister Khaled Ali Al-Aisr stated that the attack resulted in numerous casualties, including children, women, and the elderly, alongside significant destruction of private and public property. Disturbing images shared on social media depicted victims lying on the ground in the market.
A medical source from Al-No hospital, who wished to remain anonymous, reported that injuries continued to arrive at the facility following the attack attributed to the RSF. A survivor recounted that artillery shells hit the vegetable market, explaining the high number of casualties.
Volunteers at Al-No hospital indicated a need for shrouds, blood donors, and stretchers for transporting the injured. The hospital is one of the last functioning medical facilities in the region and has previously faced multiple attacks.
Witnesses reported that the source of the shelling was from the west of Omdurman, an area still under RSF control. Residents described the ongoing bombardment, noting that rockets and artillery shells were falling in various locations.
This incident coincided with the Sudanese army's announcement of breaking the siege imposed by the RSF on its general command headquarters in the capital. The military reported regaining control of the Signal Corps headquarters and expelling RSF forces from the Jili oil refinery in northern Khartoum.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as 'Hemedti'. Both factions face accusations of war crimes, particularly targeting civilians and conducting indiscriminate bombings on homes, markets, and hospitals, while obstructing humanitarian aid access.
The ongoing conflict has triggered a humanitarian catastrophe, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and displacing over 12 million people, with millions on the brink of famine. Reports indicate that approximately 26,000 individuals have been killed in Khartoum from April 2023 to June 2024. Entire neighborhoods have been emptied of residents, and 3.6 million people have fled the capital, according to United Nations data.
At least 106,000 people in the capital are facing famine, while 3.2 million are experiencing critical hunger levels, as reported by UN agencies. Prior to the end of his term, former U.S. President Joe Biden imposed sanctions on Burhan, accusing the Sudanese army of attacking schools, markets, and hospitals, and using food deprivation as a weapon of war. These sanctions followed similar measures against Dagalo, whose forces have been accused of committing genocide and severe human rights violations in Darfur.