At least 17 people killed in air strike in Sudan's Khartoum

Khartoum [Sudan], June 18 : At least 17 people, including five children, were killed in the air strike in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Saturday, Al Jazeera reported.

The fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), seeking to control the country, is entering the third month.

The bombings hit the Yarmouk neighbourhood in southern Khartoum, where clashes have centred in recent weeks, according to Sudan's health ministry.

According to the ministry's Facebook post, a number of injured civilians were taken to hospital for the treatment. In the strike, 25 houses were destroyed, according to Al Jazeera.

The dead included five children and an unknown number of women and elderly people, the ministry added, referring to the Yarmouk attack as a "massacre".

It was not clear whether the attack was by aircraft or a drone. The military's aircraft have repeatedly targeted RSF troops, while the paramilitary force has reportedly used drones and anti-aircraft weapons against army positions.

The conflict in Sudan broke out in mid-April between soldiers loyal to Sudanese army leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, paramilitary RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.

A local group that calls itself The Emergency Room and helps organise humanitarian aid in the area, said at least 11 people were wounded in the raid. It posted images it said were of houses damaged in the attack and people searching through the rubble. Other images claimed to show a wounded girl and man, reported Al Jazeera.

In a statement, the RSF alleged the military's aircraft bombed the area, killing and wounding civilians. It also claimed it downed a military MiG fighter jet, but that could not be independently verified.

Since former President Omar al-Bashir was deposed in a popular revolt in 2019, leaders of the army and the RSF have held the main seats on Sudan's executive council.

They plotted a coup in 2021, just as the council was set to give over authority to civilians, before clashing over the line of command and reforming the RSF as part of the scheduled transition, Al Jazeera reported.

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