Sudan conflict: Over 56 killed in airstrikes and shelling across Greater Khartoum
Khartoum: Intense fighting between Sudan’s regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) escalated on Saturday, resulting in at least 56 deaths and numerous injuries due to airstrikes and artillery shelling across Greater Khartoum. The ongoing conflict, which began in April 2023, has intensified as the army attempts to reclaim the capital.
Attack on Omdurman market leaves 54 dead
An RSF attack on a crowded market in army-controlled Omdurman killed 54 people and injured 158, overwhelming Al-Nao Hospital—one of the last operational medical facilities in the city. Eyewitnesses reported that shells struck the centre of a vegetable market, causing heavy casualties. While the RSF denied responsibility, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) described the hospital as being in a state of "utter carnage."
Airstrikes and rising civilian toll
In another incident, an airstrike in an RSF-controlled area of Khartoum killed two civilians and wounded dozens, according to local emergency response teams. While the RSF has deployed drones in attacks, the Sudanese army continues to dominate aerial strikes. Both sides have been accused of indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
The war has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over 12 million people, and severely damaged Sudan’s healthcare system. MSF General Secretary Chris Lockyear, present at Al-Nao Hospital, reported dire conditions, with the morgue overflowing and a severe shortage of medical supplies, including blood donors and stretchers.
Army advances amid RSF resistance
The escalation follows the Sudanese army’s offensive across central Sudan. Having reclaimed Wad Madani, the army is now focusing on retaking Khartoum. However, the RSF still controls key routes, including the road between Wad Madani and Khartoum.
The army-allied Sudan Shield Forces announced the capture of multiple towns southeast of the capital. Their leader, Abu Aqla Kaykal, a former RSF commander, has been accused of atrocities both during his time with the paramilitary and in his current role with the army.
In recent weeks, the army has managed to break RSF blockades on several bases in Khartoum, forcing RSF fighters to retreat to the city's outskirts. The shelling in Omdurman reportedly originated from RSF positions in the western part of the city.
Humanitarian crisis worsens
Khartoum, once a thriving capital, has been devastated by nearly two years of war. A study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine estimates that 26,000 people were killed in the city between April 2023 and June 2024.
The UN reports that 106,000 people in Khartoum are facing famine, while 3.2 million are experiencing extreme food shortages. Nationally, famine has been declared in five regions, mostly in Darfur, and is expected to worsen by May. With no end in sight, the conflict continues to devastate the nation, leaving millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
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ISRO successfully conducts second integrated air drop test for Gaganyaan mission
New Delhi (PTI): Space agency ISRO has successfully conducted the second integrated air drop test (IADT-02) for the upcoming Gaganyaan mission at the space station in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota.
The system is essential to ensure a safe recovery of the crew module -- the capsule in which astronauts sit during a human flight -- during re-entry and landing.
Union minister Jitendra Singh congratulated the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for successfully conducting the test.
"Congratulations #ISRO for the successful accomplishment of Second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) for #Gaganyaan, India's first Human Space flight scheduled next year. The second Integrated Air Drop Test (IADT-02) was successfully conducted at Satish Dhawan Space Station Sriharikota," Singh said in a post on X.
The IADT-02 follows the successful completion of the first IADT, which took place on August 24, 2025, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Air drop tests recreate the last leg of a spacecraft's return to Earth. An aircraft or helicopter drops the spacecraft from a height to test various systems under different scenarios.
These are the deployment of the parachute system in case the mission is aborted mid-flight, system performance when one parachute fails to open and the spacecraft's orientation and safety during splashdown etc.
In the IADT-02 test, a simulated crew module, weighing about 5.7 tonnes, was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter to an altitude of about three kilometres and released over a designated drop zone in the sea, near the Sriharikota coast.
In a statement, the ISRO said, "Ten parachutes of four types were deployed in a precise sequence during the descent of the crew module, gradually reducing the velocity for safe touchdown. Subsequently, the simulated crew module was successfully recovered in coordination with the Indian Navy."
