As the battles in Khartoum and around Sudan continue, civilians remain trapped in their homes for a third day, as the army and the RSF (Rapid Support Forces) continue to clash in the streets for control of the country.
At least 185 people have been killed thus far and over 1,800 wounded since the fighting erupted last week. The two sides are using tanks, artillery and other heavy weapons of war in densely populated areas. Fighter jets fly low overhead and anti-aircraft fire light up the skies at night. The death toll could be much higher because there are many bodies in the streets around central Khartoum that no one can reach because of the ongoing violence. There has been no official word on how many civilians or combatants have been killed.
At least 88 students and staffers have been trapped in the engineering college library at Khartoum University since the start of fighting, one of the students said in a video posted online yesterday. One student was killed during clashes outside and another wounded. These students do not have food or water, and the video shows a room full of people sleeping on the floor.
The sudden and surprising outbreak of violence over the weekend between the nation’s two top generals, each backed by tens of thousands of heavily armed fighters, resulted in millions of people being trapped in their homes or wherever they could find shelter, with supplies running low and several hospitals forced to shut down.
The bloody battles come just days before the Sudanese were to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. This should be a time of celebration and jubilation, but instead millions of people are uncertain of their futures.
Side Items
Forensic Analysis of Police Brutality: On June 2, 2020, during the civil rights protests following George Floyd’s murder, protesters in Portland, OR were doused with tear gas from police. Now, Forensic Architecture, a research agency that investigates human rights violations, has analyzed hundreds of videos from that evening, along with internal police files, invoice records, manufacturer data and photos of teargas canisters. Their analysis reveals that the city’s downtown was blanketed with gas at more than 50 times the level federal regulators consider “immediately dangerous to life or health”
Ralph Yarl Lives On: The 16-year-old kid survived two gunshot wounds courtesy of Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white man in Kansas City, Missouri, who was charged yesterday with first-degree assault. Yarl mistakenly went to the man’s home trying to pick up his younger brothers. No words were exchanged before the shooting, but afterward, as Yarl got up to run, he heard Lester yell, “Don’t come around here,”, which leads me to believe Mr. Lester had ulterior motives for shooting an innocent child. Yarl then ran to “multiple” homes asking for help before finding someone who would call the police
Lethal Driveway Encroachment: A 20-year-old woman was looking for a friend’s house in upstate New York and was shot to death after the car she was riding in accidentally went to the wrong address and was met with gunfire in the driveway. 65-year-old Kevin Monahan was taken to jail and booked on a charge of second-degree murder. I’m not sure what it is about white folks and raining live fire on any unsuspecting souls who mistakenly pull up to their homes, but it’s really got to stop