Initial Summary

• Location of strikes and points of impact: Khartoum, Kalakla al-Qubba.
  1. First point of impact: 15.477744, 32.472403.
  2. Second point of impact: 15.477886, 32.472822.
  3. Third point of impact: 15.477831, 32.471997.
• Place of impact: houses in Kalakla al-Qubba, 15th Street.
• Date of the incident: April 24, 2023.
• Time of the Incident: Between 10:30am and 11:00 am local time.
• Type of the incident: Aerial bombing, possibly by a Mil Mi- 24 helicopter.
• Specific munitions: Unidentified fragments.
• Possible perpetrator in this incident: Sudanese Armed Forces’ air force.

Introduction

One person was killed and others wounded in the Kalakla al-Qubba area between 10:30am and 11:00am on Monday April 24 in an alleged aerial strike apparently carried out by the air force of the Sudanese Armed Forces, possibly using a Mil Mi-24 helicopter (Ababeel).

The preliminary committee of the Sudan Doctors Syndicate made an urgent appeal to medical staff, spoke of deaths in the Kalakla al-Qubba area and about how the Turkish Hospital became crowded with injured people. Some of the injuries were very serious, they said.

In addition to the killing and wounding of several people, the attack resulted in the destruction of multiple houses on 15th Street. A woman and a child were rescued from the rubble.

A video clip posted on Twitter showed the moment three rockets were shot by a helicopter flying over a residential area. In its title, the clip noted the location, the Kalakla al-Qubba neighborhood. Other videos and pictures showed remnants of rockets allegedly from the attack as well as crowds of civilians gathered in the same location. 

 A screenshot from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023, taken on 22/06/2023 showing the Turkish Hospital and 15th street in Kalakla al-Qubba. The two pins were placed by the Sudanese Archive. 

A photo posted on Twitter on 24/04/2023 "Abdelbagi" displays the destruction in Kalakla al-Qubba. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on June 22, 2023.

Methodology

The Sudanese Archive conducted an investigation about the incident using the following methods.

• Saved, analysed and investigated over 163 video clips and pictures. Reviewed any news posted on social media platforms regarding the incident and/or said to show the area affected by the air strike and the initial response to rescue wounded and injured people affected by the airstrike.
• Confirmed the location of the airstrike’s impact by matching notable monuments in satellite photos with first reports of the incident.
• Navigated the location of the sun and shadows in post-strike footage to pinpoint timing of the air strike.
• Examined the helicopter video along with the pictures of remnants of armaments found at the place of impact. 
• Identified the type of the aerial vehicle used and therefore the potential perpetrators of this attack.

This investigation’s conclusions result from multiple types of analysis using available resources linked to the attack, its time, location, and casualties. This led to a conclusion as to which armed force was responsible. For more on the research methodology of the Sudanese Archive please visit our website.

About Kalakla, in Khartoum:

In the southern reaches of Khartoum State lies the Kalakla neighborhood, nestled within the Jabal Awliya district. Bounded by the eastern expanse of Al- Mahas land, to the north and west by the districts of Al-Haraz Um Kadad, just north of Azuzab, and concluding at the eastern frontier with Ad Hussein. Stretching eastward to the terrain of Al-Mahas, extending southwards to Al-Dkhenat, and bordered to the west by the Nile, specifically along "Darb Al-Jamal."

Kalakla is divided into several areas: Al-Qalaa, Al-Qatiaa, Al-Qubba, Sangaat, Al-Wihda, Al-Mnawara.

War in Sudan

Since the coup of October 2021, the government of Sudan has been administered by the Transitional Sovereign Council, and there are two military commanders at the heart of the conflict: the commander of the armed forces and the de facto President of the country, Abdul Fattah al-Barhan, on the one hand, and the deputy commander of the rapid support forces, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hamedti, on the other.

Fighting in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, began on April 15, 2023, thanks to a dispute over the integration of the RSF into the SAF. This was followed by clashes between the RSF which was established in 2013 and the Sudanese army in various parts of Sudan, including in Jabal Awliya near the Kalakla neighbourhood. Both sides accused one another of starting the fighting. 

Hundreds of civilians have been killed as a result of clashes, which are ongoing to date, and millions have fled to safer areas or to neighbouring states.

The attack on civilian homes in Kalakla took place on April 24, 2023, between two truces approved by SAF and RSF for April 21 and 25.  The truces lasted for three days and were preceded by a one-day truce on April 19.

What happened and when?

According to information available online, between 10:30am and 11:00am local time on Monday (April  24, 2023) civilian homes were allegedly attacked during an air raid by military aircraft or helicopters. 

We could not find any confirmation of the allegation that the location had been bombed by a military aircraft but a video featuring a helicopter likely belonging to Sudanese government forces was shown firing three rockets supposedly in Kalakla.

Some social media commentators claimed the target was an RSF headquarters while others denied any RSF presence in the area, saying that the attack was actually on civilian homes in the area.

Screenshots from a video published by "Wli" Twitter account captured by the Sudanese Archive to show the firing of three rockets from a helicopter, reportedly as part of the attack under examination. The Sudanese Archive could not geolocate or chronolocate this footage. Archived on July 6, 2023.

In a statement, the RSF blamed SAF for "directly targeting civilians in the Kalakla area by air raiding residential neighbourhoods by the coup forces".

A video published by Al Jazeera on its Facebook page conveyed witness accounts from the site that had no links either with the SAF or RSF and that the shelling had caused sudden panic among locals.

In the video, a man from the neighbourhood says, "we ran inside the house considering the air strikes, eventually we got stuck and the door was locked and all the shards fell on us".

A video published by Al Araby on its Twitter account shows a number of destroyed houses. One of the residents of Kalakla says in the video that, "a number of victims and injured persons had fallen and were taken to hospitals, and that Kalakla had not seen any confrontations between the Rapid Support Forces and the people's armed forces and that it was a shelter for Khartoum residents".

By verifying as follows the timing of the publication of the first social media posts, reports by news channels, videos and photographs, and determining the locations damaged, Sudanese Archive assesses that houses on 15th Street in Kalakla al-Qubba were bombed between 10:30 am and 11:00 am on Monday, April 24, 2023. 

Reports of the attack

The first reports of the attack appeared in a Tweet published by the Twitter account "Marwa" at 10:26 on April 24, 2023. This reported that an air strike had happened in Kalakla at 10:20.

A screenshot of Marwa's tweet about the bombing of the Kalakla district was collected by the Sudanese Archive on June 29, 2023.

A video published at 10:52 shows smoke rising from a place that is not completely visible, with houses blocking the source of the smoke. The accompanying Tweet asked where the bombing occurred at 10:15. The answer given was  15th Street in al-Qubba.

A screenshot of the Twitter account of "Feras", collected by the Sudanese Archive on June 29, 2023.

At 10:20 Ahmed Alnour Al Nour posted photographs on his Facebook account of what he claimed was the first air strike in Kalakla al-Qubba "by the sea" (the Nile River in Sudan is often called "the sea") followed by a later post at 11:06 of photographs of the impact site, showing the magnitude of the damage, the extraction of the injured, the location of the rocket, the first responders, shrapnel, rescue operations and the body of one of the victims. 

The photographs show the date of the incident, set at April 24, 2023, and the time of the photographs goes from 10:43 to 11:02. The writing accompanying the photographs claims that 10 houses were demolished by an air raid in the Kalakla al-Qubba district, west of the Abu Goula market.

Photos from Ahmed Alnour Al Nour's Facebook account show the first and last pictures taken at the scene, between 10:43 and 11:02. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on June 29, 2023.

Photos from Ahmed Alnour Al Nour's Facebook account show the destruction, the recovery of wounded, remains of weapons. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 6, 2023. 

A video posted at 11:10 on a Facebook account belonging to Almakashfy Al-Taib shows that residents from the neighborhood went to the impact site.

At 11:33, Nasreldin Maher published photographs from the site of the impact on Facebook, showing the destruction and first responders. Youssef Dukkah also published a report on Facebook with photographs at 11:44. These were located on 15th Street in the Kalakla a-Qubba neighborhood.

A screenshot from the photos in Nasreldin Maher's account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on August 6, 2023.

Media reports followed, including from journalists Muhammad Musa, World Heroes, Amjad Da, Osman, Taha Wad Hanan, Almakashfy Al Thaib, with accompanying photographs and videos about the incident, showing the location of the impact, the destruction and victims at the scene.  

Two videos were circulated of a helicopter that was allegedly responsible for the incident. The first to post the video was Wli's Twitter account but we were unable to independently deny or confirm the authenticity of the video and its location.

Activists appealed to medical personnel to go to the Turkish Hospital to treat the injured who were taken there after the attack. About two hours after the incident, the Sudan Doctors Syndicate called nearby medical personnel to urgently assist because "the Kalakla neighborhood was subjected to violent bombing that led to the martyrdom of a number of citizens and the Turkish Hospital is overcrowded with a large number of serious injuries, approximately 50 injured".

Screenshot of the call issued by the Sudan Medical Association collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 6, 2023.

Geolocations

By analysing eight videos and photos showing the locations of impact, the initial responders, and the destruction in Kalakla al-Qubba, and then comparing prominent features from Google Earth satellite images, three impact points can be identified

First point of impact: 15.477744, 32.472403.

Second point of impact: 15.477886, 32.472822.

Third point of impact: 15.477831, 32.471997.

Screenshot from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023, and Maxar satellite imagery dated June 09, 2023 markers 1 to 3 placed by the Sudanese Archive showing impact points on an image.

A video shows smoke rising, believed to be the result of the attack on Kalakla, from the place it was filmed near the Al-Ikhlas Al-Baladi bakery. The prominent landmarks in the place were identified and compared with satellite images from Google Earth.

Screenshots from a video showing smoke and prominent landmarks near the Al-Ikhlas Al-Baladi bakery, compared to satellite images dated April 20, 2023 with annotations added by the Sudanese Archive on photos on September 17, 2023.

The Sudanese Archive identified and geolocated photos and videos of the first and the second points of impact as shown below. 

First point of impact

Coordinates: 15.477744, 32.472403

Two video clips and a photo show destruction in a block of mud brick residential buildings, geolocated by the Sudanese Archive based on prominent landmarks in a satellite image from Google Earth. The photos show that the first impact point was the most destructive. A damaged electricity pole was repaired in this area.

Above are three screenshots from a video of the destruction at the first impact point; below is a screenshot from Google Earth dated 20/04/2023 and collected by the Sudanese Archive on September 17, 2023. of destruction at the first point of impact, as compared to prominent landmarks nearby. Below is a screenshot from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023, with annotations added by the Sudanese Archive on the photos collected on September 17, 2023.

Above is a photo from a Tweet published two days after the incident, showing repair to a power pole at the first impact point. Below is a photo from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023, with annotations added by the Sudanese Archive on photos collected on September 17, 2023.

Second point of impact

Coordinates: 15.477886, 32.472822.

Two videos show destruction at the second impact point They also show damage to a wall and a car, which was determined by comparing prominent features with satellite images from Google Earth.

Below are 4 screenshots from a video showing destruction at the second of impact. Above is a screenshot from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023. The annotations were added by the Sudanese Archive on the photos collected on September 17, 2023.

Third point of impact

Coordinates: 
15.477831, 32.471997

The third impact point is about 62 meters away from the first impact point and 110 meters away from the second impact point identified in the investigation. A visual comparison of two screenshots from Google Earth between the dates of April 20, 2023 and February 5, 2024 shows effects that may have resulted from the same incident, as it shows The pictures show destruction in a wide area that includes more than ten houses, some of which no longer exist, while the other houses show signs of collapse in their walls and ceilings in the pictures and comparison.

Timing of the attack

In addition to the reports on social media, the Sudanese Archive also used a video clip showing smoke rising after the aerial bombardment in Kalakla. The Archive used the Sun Calc tool to work out the position of the sun. The shadows of the people in the video match the position of the sun between 10:30 and 11:00 local time.

Screenshot from a video of smoke rising after the attack on Kalakla. Below this, a screenshot from the SunCalc website showing the direction of the sun and shadows at 10:30 local time, collected by the Sudanese Archive on September 17, 2023.

Screenshots from a video showing smoke and prominent landmarks near the Al-Ikhlas Al-Baladi bakery as compared to satellite images, with annotations added by the Sudanese Archive on photos collected on September 17, 2023.

The shadows appearing in a video posted at 11:08 on the date of the incident match the position of the sun between 10:30 and 10:53 local time on April 24, 2023, according to the Shadow Calculator tool for measuring shadows.

Screenshot from a video collected by the Sudanese Archive on September 17, 2023.

A screenshot from the Shadow Calculator website showing the location of the shadows at 10:30 on April 24, 2023, collected by the Sudanese Archive on September 17, 2023.

A screenshot from the Shadow Calculator website showing the location of the shadows at 10:53 on April 24, 2023, collected by the Sudanese Archive on September 17, 2023.

By verifying the timing of the publication of the first reports, videos and photos circulating on social media and via news channels, then determining the geographic location and analysing the shadows and sun using the Shadow Calculator and SunCalc tools, the Sudanese Archive confirmed that bombing targeted a cluster of homes on 15th Street in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighbourhood. This attack caused the death and injury of civilians as well as the destruction of homes. It occurred between 10:30 and 11:00 on Monday, April 24, 2023.

Victims of the attack

The Sudan Medical Association published an urgent appeal to medical personnel in which it reported that a number of people had been killed and others injured in the Kalakla area and that they had been taken to the Turkish Hospital. In a statement on its Facebook page, the resistance committees in Kalakla listed some civilian victims, some of whom were seriously injured following the bombing of 15th Street in Kalakla al-Qubba. 

A screenshot from the statement issued by the Sudan Medical Association about deaths and injuries in Kalakla, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

BBC journalist Hanan Razek spoke about the killing of three people in the Kalakla neighbourhood on her Twitter account. A twitter user called «Soheb» also spoke on his Twitter account about finding bodies under the rubble at the impact site.

Three videos showed the first response and the extraction of injured people from under the rubble, including a woman and a child. A video published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook page showed people trying to save a wounded person – only their hands were visible  from under the rubble of a destroyed house. A video published by Muhammad Al-Khatib on his Twitter account (now suspended) showed the moments a girl was saved from under the rubble. On its Twitter account, Sudan News – a news aggregator for information out of Sudan – posted a video showing a woman being saved from under the rubble.

The Al Jazeera media page and the Facebook page belonging to Al-Sadiq Idris, the Twitter account belonging to “Derwish249” all shared pictures and videos of people said to have been injured during the Kalakla incident. Muhammad Al-Khatib also shared a video on his account that he said showed the funeral of one of those killed in the attack.

A screenshot of a video showing a woman being rescued from under the rubble by the Al Jazeera channel, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A screenshot of the rescue of a child from under the rubble out of the Al Jazeera video, collected by the Sudanese Archive on 27 July 2023.

A screenshot showing the funeral of one of the victims captured from a video posted by Muhammad Al Khatib on his Twitter account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A picture shows an injured person, published by Al-Sadiq Idris on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A photo posted by Al-Sadiq Idris on his Facebook account appears to be a victim’s body, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A screenshot from the Al Jazeera video showing one of the people who was apparently injured in the Kalakla incident, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A woman said in an interview broadcast by Al Arabiya channel: «My little brother was injured and got transferred to the Turkish Hospital, where his wound was sutured. My neighbour, who had diabetes, was hit by shards in her head. The wound was massive and she was taken to Al-Munawara Hospital and our other neighbour died”.

The Sudanese Archive was unable to identify the dead and injured in the Kalakla accident. However the following  social media accounts – Ali Fox, South Kordofan, We are coming tomorrow, Alayamnews – all stated that one of the dead was Adam Denqs, a retiree formerly with the Sudanese military police. His wife was also reportedly injured in the shelling of their home.

A screenshot from the group Wasif Lai al-Kalakla on Facebook talking about the death of Adam Denqs. A comment from his daughter Amina Adam confirms his death. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

Damage and destruction

The incident allegedly resulted in the destruction of a number of houses in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighborhood as shown in the satellite image below from before the attack on April 20, 2023 and after the attack on June 9, 2023.

Screenshot from Google Earth dated April 20, 2023, and Maxar satellite imagery dated June 09, 2023 markers 1 to 3 placed by the Sudanese Archive showing impact points on an image.   Videos and images show walls, ceilings, windows, and doors completely demolished, in addition to damage to a parked car, power poles, and household furniture. The shelling left holes in the road and in between the impacted houses.__

Photo of a hole at the impact site posted by Mhamad Rahma on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A picture of a damaged, parked car at the impact site, posted by Mhamad Rahma on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

An image showing the destruction of walls, ceilings, and household furniture, posted by Mhamad Rahma on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

An image showing the collapse of parts of building walls and collapsed ceilings, posted by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A picture showing the destruction of interior rooms at the impact site, published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

An image showing the collapse of part of a wall and ceilings, and destroyed furniture. It was published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account and collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

Photo showing destruction of part of a wall as well as damage to a window and household furniture. Published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

Photo showing destruction of roofs and house walls. Published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

Photo showing the destruction of the roof of a home at the impact site. Published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

An image showing destruction and damage to zinc ceilings and walls, published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A picture at the impact site published by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

An image showing maintenance work on the damaged power pole at the impact site. Abbas Comics, a Sudanese illustrator, posted it on his Twitter account. It was collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

A screenshot showing destruction at the impact site from a video clip broadcast by Al Jazeera, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

The reporter for the Al Jazeera channel spoke of the total destruction of homes due to the shelling, accompanied by photographs of the place. The reporter, Mohamed Al-Tayeb, said: "Most of the homes are built by low income families and do not have the kind of concrete with which modern houses are built, just bricks and mud".

The Al Arabiya channel featured an interview with a woman, the owner of one of the demolished houses. She said: "Something has befallen us that we didn’t know anything about. Just the people, the house and everything else collapsed. The destroyed furniture is all around us. Nothing in the house is intact anymore. The house has completely collapsed. There is nothing in the house, not even a spoon".

Armaments and equipment used

Media sources reported that an air attack took place on 15th Street in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighborhood on April 24, 2023. Initially, there was confusion among online commentators concerning the source of the air attack and whether it was launched by helicopters, drones or warplanes.

A video clip appears to show that the attack was carried out by a Mil Mi-24 helicopter, 

 Two screenshots from ForcesDz.com showing the arrival of Mil Mi 24 Ababeel helicopters appears on them signs of the Sudanese flag and the Sudanese Air Force insignia as shown in the two images below taken by the Sudanese Archive on July 27, 2023.

The page of the Kalakla al-Qubba Resistance Committees published a press release saying that the attack on 15th Street was from an "Ababeel helicopter".

The Sudanese Archive was unable to geolocate the helicopter that appeared in the video, but the commentary accompanying it claimed that the bombing depicted was in Kalakla al-Qubba. The profile of the helicopter seen in the video appears to match that of a Mil Mi- 24 helicopter 

nicknamed in Sudan as the Ababeel plane. The Sudanese Air Force page, and a page claiming to be the official page of the Sudanese Ministry of Defense, had published news with pictures, including a picture of the MI 24 plane, referring to it as (Ababeel). The shape of the front of the helicopter can be divided into three sections, two of which make the shape of the letter D. In addition, there are three blades at the top of the tail on the left side of the back rotor.

Screenshot comparing the parts of the Mil Mi-24 (Ababeel) helicopter. Above, a photo from the alleged launch video claimed to be at Kalakla and below, a photo from the Steam Community website. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 28, 2023.

Above is a picture from the Forces DZ website. Below is a screenshot from the alleged launch video, showing the shape of the nose of the Mil Mi-24 (Ababeel) helicopter divided into three sections. This distinguishes it from other helicopters. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 28, 2023.

The Mil Mi-24 (Ababeel) helicopter appeared in a military air show as part of the Sudan Armed Forces celebrations in 2020 for its 66th anniversary. It also appears on the page of the Sudanese Ministry of Defence as part of the “Fajr manoeuvres 7” in 2017.

Above is a picture from a 2020 military air show, part of the Sudan Armed Forces celebrations for its 66th anniversary. Below is a picture from the Sudanese Ministry of Defense page showing part of the Fajr manoeuvres 7 in 2017 and Mil Mi-24 (Ababeel) helicopters. Both were collected by the Sudanese Archive on the 28th July, 2023.

Twitter user "Sayyaf" and the journalist Muhammad Musa reported that the attack on the Kalakla neighbourhood was carried out by a MiG fighter jet belonging to the Sudan Armed Forces. Sayyaf's account stated in a tweet that he filmed a video moments after the bombing, which he claimed was by a SAF MiG fighter jet.

Photos published on social media by the following accounts - Ahmad Alnour Al Nour, Al-Sadiq Idris, Mhamad Rahama, and News Sudan 99  - show what are believed to be unexploded missile fragments and a crater believed to be the result of the attack.

The Sudanese Archive was unable to accurately determine the types of fragments after reviewing the kinds of missiles typically carried by the Mil Mi-24 aircraft.

A photo posted by Ahmad Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account showing what he claimed was shrapnel from a missile recovered at the impact site. Picture collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023. 

A photo posted by Ahmed Alnour Al Nour on his Facebook account showing what appears to be shrapnel from a missile recovered at the impact site. Picture collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023. 

A photo posted by Al-Sadiq Idris on his Facebook account showing what appears to be the remnants of a missile recovered at the impact site, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023. 

Screenshot from a video showing the crater believed to have been caused by the missile at the impact site. It contains what appear to be five pieces of shrapnel. The words in the photo are from the source. The signs and numbers were added by the Sudanese Archive on the photo, which was collected on July 31, 2023. 

Screenshot from the DNMODELS website showing the types of missiles that the Mil Mi-24 helicopter (Ababeel) can carry and launch, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023.

Potential perpetrator

The Kalakla al-Qubba Resistance Committees, the RSF and activists all pointed to the Sudanese Air Force as being responsible for the bombing of civilian homes on 15th Street in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighbourhood on April 24, 2023.

A press statement issued by the Kalakla al-Qubba Resistance Committees on the evening of the incident specifically stated that a Sudanese Air Force helicopter had bombed homes the committee said belonged to civilians on 15th Street in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighbourhood. 

Screenshot of a press release issued by the Kalakla al-Qubba Resistance Committees on its Facebook page, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023.

In a statement issued the same day, the RSF also held the Sudanese army - they describe them as "coup forces" - responsible for air strikes that directly targeted civilians. The Kalakla neighbourhood was mentioned in the statement.

Screenshot of the RSF statement issued on April 24, 2023, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023.

The SAF did not confirm or deny responsibility for the incident. A statement issued on the evening of April 24, 2023 denied that the Sudanese army had targeted civilians but it did so without specifying any location. It stated that: "The armed forces also affirm that they cannot target their citizens, with whom they have been associated throughout the history of Sudan, by destroying their homes and attacking them with the air force, and our people know this".

A screenshot of the statement made by the SAF, published on a Facebook page claiming to be the official page of the SAF. Collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023.

A facebook post published by Naji Al Jundi  claimed that the targeted location was a house used by the RSF to publish propaganda messages on social media, and receive and share instructions between them and other members of the RSF,  The Sudanese Archive was unable to accurately verify this claimed information. 

Screenshot from Ibrahim M. Nassir account, collected by the Sudanese Archive on July 31, 2023.

The owner of the "La Pensee" account claimed that he was the owner of one of the destroyed houses and that eight other houses were also destroyed by "random shelling". He also said that one of his neighbors was killed. Sudan News 99’s Abdelbagi asked a rhetorical question on his Twitter account as to why, if the location was used by the RSF, then no dead or injured RSF members were seen on the site.

Mohamed el-Tayeb, Al Jazeera’s Khartoum correspondent, reported on the impact on civilian houses. During an interview on the Al Arabiya channel, a woman claiming to be the owner of one of the houses affected said: "We do not have any political orientations. This is a random shelling, there is no camp here and we do not lean toward a certain party nor to the army or any other. We are simple people".

Based on available open-source reports about the incident and the extent of damage observed in the residential area, there is a significant probability that the attack may have been conducted as a result of an airstrike. The Sudanese Archive was unable to find open-source documentation suggesting that the RSF owns or operates manned ground-attack aircrafts such as helicopters.

Conclusion

The Sudanese Archive has evaluated the allegations and visual content related to the aerial bombardment – possibly by a Mil Mi-24 (Ababeel) helicopter – that damaged houses on 15th Street in the Kalakla al-Qubba neighborhood between 10:30 and 11:00 local time, on Monday, April 24, 2023. Reports indicate that at least one civilian was killed and others were injured in the attack. Homes were destroyed and at least one vehicle was damaged as were nearby trees and power poles. Based on the limited information, the Sudanese Archive is unable to definitively determine the type of weapon used or the party responsible.