The attack occurred "after evening prayers" on Sunday in the capital of Al-Jazira state just south of Khartoum, the Wad Madani Resistance Committee, one of hundreds of volunteer groups coordinating aid across the war-torn country, said in a statement to AFP early on Tuesday.

They accused the army of using "barrel bombs", adding that over half of the dead remained unidentified as rescuers combed through the remains of "dozens of charred and mutilated bodies".

War has raged between the Sudanese armed forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2023, killing tens of thousands of people and creating the world's largest displacement and humanitarian crises.

The two forces are locked in brutal combat over central Sudan's agricultural Al-Jazira state, which has been under paramilitary control since late last year.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes, including targeting civilians, indiscriminately shelling residential areas and blocking or looting aid.

The RSF has been specifically accused of rampant looting, laying siege to entire villages and systematic sexual violence in Al-Jazira and across Sudan.