Khartoum air attack kills 17 people, Sudan says

Five of the dead are children, according to health authorities

Homes in Khartoum have been destroyed or heavily damaged since violence between factions of the Sudanese military began. AFP

Sudanese health authorities said that at least 17 people, including five children, were killed in an air strike on Khartoum on Saturday.

“Yarmouk district was targeted with an air strike, and early estimates refer to the killing of 17 people, including five children,” the health department said in a post on its Facebook page.

The attack destroyed 25 homes, it said.

The country's army, headed by Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by his former deputy Gen Mohamed Dagalo, have been locked in fighting since April 15.

Sudan’s rival forces have been discussing the possibility of a three-day ceasefire, Sky News Arabia reported on Saturday.

Sudan's war has resulted in more than 2,000 deaths as the conflict between the nation's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces enters its third month.

The death toll is based on the figures issued by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project as of June 9.

The conflict has turned Khartoum into a war zone, leading to a humanitarian crisis.

The fighting has driven 2.2 million people from their homes, including 528,000 who have fled to neighbouring countries, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

The RSF has its origins in the Janjaweed militia that former dictator Omar Al Bashir unleashed on ethnic minorities in the region in 2003, drawing charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.