Nine civilians, including three children, killed in artillery shelling in Diling, Sudan

At least nine civilians, including three children, were killed in artillery shelling in Diling, in war-torn Kordofan state of Sudan. Several others were injured in the incident, it was reported.

The Nuba Mountains, a Sudanese non-governmental organization, reported this information in a statement on Wednesday (December 17).

The statement said that the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) forces led by Abdelaziz Al-Hilu carried out the shelling. The group is known to be an ally of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The attack targeted residential areas in Diling city.

According to the organization, the artillery shelling began from the Taital area of ​​South Kordofan. Later, the Sudanese army counter-attacked the area and took control of it.

Neither the Sudanese army, the SPLM-N, nor their ally the RSF have officially commented on the incident.

Meanwhile, the towns of Kadugli and Diling in South Kordofan have been under siege by the RSF and SPLM-N since the start of the conflict. These areas have been virtually blockaded for more than two years and are subject to regular artillery and drone attacks.

The army and the RSF have been fighting fiercely for the past few weeks in the three states of North, West and South Kordofan, forcing thousands of people to flee the area.

The RSF currently controls five of Sudan's 18 states in the western Darfur region. Only parts of North Darfur are still under the army's control.

On the other hand, the Sudanese army controls most of 13 states in the south, north, east and central regions, including the capital, Khartoum.

It is worth noting that the conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which began in April 2023, has already killed thousands of people and displaced millions.