Brutal Attack on South Kordofan’s Capital of Kadulgi, Sudan, claims the lives of 44 civilians, amid torrent of violence across Sudan.

In the early hours of Monday, February 3rd, artillery shelling struck a gathering of civilians in Kadulgi, the capital of South Kordofan, Sudan. The targeted assault struck residential areas, schools, and a local market, leaving at least 44 people dead, and 70 others wounded, including women and children, who are now receiving treatment in the Kadugli Hospital and Military Hospital. GOAL is outraged by yet another barbaric and deliberate attack on innocent civilians and calls on all parties involved to immediately cease this indiscriminate violence against civilians and prioritize the protection of human life.

This attack is the latest in a series of recent violent assaults, following the devastating attack on the Saudi Teaching Maternal Hospital in El Fasher on January 24th. It underscores the intensifying violence gripping Sudan, as paramilitary rebel groups continue their relentless assaults.

Speaking of the recent attack, GOAL’s Regional Director for Africa, John Rynne, said,

“Since the start of this war on civilians across Sudan in April 2023, Sudan has been mired in relentless bloodshed. The deliberate targeting of civilians is a blatant breach of the rules of war. With each passing day, civilian casualties rise as Sudan faces unprecedented levels of famine and mass displacement. This attack represents an unwarranted and unconscionable act of aggression against innocent civilians caught in the crossfires of the rebel group’s war against the Sudanese government. The protection of civilians and the provision of urgent humanitarian relief to those affected is of paramount concern to GOAL.”

Since April 2023, the conflict in Sudan has caused the world’s largest displacement and humanitarian crisis to date, with over 8.8 million people forcibly displaced inside Sudan, where GOAL has been working since 1985, and 3.2 million people who have sought refuge in neighboring countries including the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the southeast, and South Sudan to the south.

Also speaking on the attack in Kadugli, Sanjida Tawhid, GOAL Sudan Country Director, said

“As an international organization committed to promoting peace and development, we strongly condemn this brutal act of violence. The cost of innocent human life continues to rise across Sudan, as the unfolding humanitarian crisis rapidly escalates into humanitarian catastrophe. This devastation is engulfing the nation, threatening not only the security and safety of the Sudanese people but also the stability of the wider region. Famine and disease are worsening as a direct result of this violence. We cannot stand by and allow this destruction to continue without urgent intervention and accountability.”