Khartoum, 9 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - At least 22 civilians in Sudan were killed on Saturday in airstrikes near the capital Khartoum.

Numerous people were injured in the attack in the town of Omdurman, the health ministry of the Khartoum region announced.

The army under head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has been fighting against the RSF paramilitary militia of his former deputy Mohammed Hamdan Daglo since mid-April.

In Khartoum and the surrounding area, there have been frequent attacks on residential areas in addition to battles over strategic targets.

RSF fighters use occupied civilian houses as cover. On Saturday, the RSF accused the army of killing at least 31 people.

The United Nations reacted to the reports with a statement, which said: "The secretary-general remains deeply concerned that the ongoing war between the armed forces has pushed Sudan to the brink of a full-scale civil war, potentially destabilizing the entire region."

According to data from the conflict monitoring organization ACLED, at least 3,300 people have been killed since fighting broke out in Sudan.

The UN says 2.9 million people in Sudan have now been displaced by the conflict, with more than 600,000 having fled to neighbouring countries.

Besides Khartoum, the Darfur region in the west of the country, which has been torn apart by ethnic conflicts for decades, is particularly affected by heavy fighting.

Photo: MIA archive