Today, Wednesday, Sudan's transitional Sovereign Council President, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah Burhan, issued a constitutional decree dissolving the Rapid Support Forces. Burhan ordered the General Command of the Armed Forces, the General Secretariat of the Sovereign Council, and other relevant entities to implement the decision. This decision comes "based on the implications of the rebellion of these forces against the state, the serious violations they committed against citizens, the deliberate destruction of the country's infrastructure, in addition to their contravention of the objectives, tasks, and principles of their establishment as stated in the Rapid Support Forces Law of 2017."
**Shelling Incident**
The "Emergency Lawyers" group announced in a statement today that at least 32 people were killed in artillery shelling by the Sudanese army on a neighborhood in Omdurman yesterday, Tuesday. The Ambaida neighborhood in West Omdurman witnessed fierce fighting as the army attempted to cut off the main supply routes used by the Rapid Support Forces, which it has been fighting since April 15.
Human rights activists and residents report that the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are firing rockets into populated areas during the conflict, resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties in the capital Khartoum and other cities. While the Rapid Support Forces are spread across Khartoum and the cities of Omdurman and Bahri, which together with Khartoum form the capital, the army holds an advantage in heavy artillery and aircraft.
The statement released today noted that the shelling occurred yesterday in the Ambaida neighborhood, which has seen several deadly strikes. Earlier this week, military sources indicated that the army had deployed large numbers of ground troops in Omdurman and is preparing for a major operation aimed at cutting off the main supply route for the Rapid Support Forces from the Darfur region to the capital.
Local volunteers reported that 19 people were killed in army strikes on Ambaida on Sunday. Residents mentioned that many inhabitants of the neighborhood fled today, Wednesday. Activists and locals accuse the Rapid Support Forces of damaging homes through the launch of anti-aircraft rockets and other artillery shelling, as well as looting and occupying civilian neighborhoods. Both sides, who have clashed over internationally-backed plans to integrate their forces during the transition to democracy, deny responsibility for the strikes that resulted in civilian deaths.
Today, the United States imposed sanctions on the deputy commander of the Rapid Support Forces due to his involvement in human rights violations committed by his forces and had previously imposed sanctions on companies linked to both sides.
