RSF Shelling Devastates Darfur’s El-Fasher
Horrific attack kills 24, wounds 55
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group locked in a brutal conflict with Sudan’s military, unleashed a barrage of shells on el-Fasher, the embattled capital of North Darfur province, killing at least 24 people and wounding 55, including five women, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The attack targeted densely populated areas, including the central market and the Awlad al-Reef neighborhood, intensifying the suffering in a city under siege for over a year.
El-Fasher remains the Sudanese military’s last stronghold in Darfur, a region ravaged by a civil war that erupted in April 2023 when tensions between the military and the RSF boiled over into open combat in Khartoum and beyond. The RSF’s latest assault is part of a relentless campaign against the city, which has endured repeated attacks, including a devastating offensive in April that left hundreds dead in two famine-stricken displacement camps. The United Nations reported that in August alone, RSF attacks killed at least 89 civilians, including 16 summarily executed, highlighting the group’s brutal tactics.
The siege has trapped 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, in el-Fasher, cut off from humanitarian aid for over 16 months. UNICEF described the city as “an epicentre of child suffering,” with malnutrition, disease, and violence claiming lives daily. An estimated 6,000 children face severe acute malnutrition, teetering on the brink of death. The broader conflict has claimed over 40,000 lives, displaced 14 million people, and driven some to eat grass to survive as famine grips parts of Sudan.
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The war has been marked by horrific atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings, mass rape, and widespread destruction, according to the United Nations and human rights organizations. The International Criminal Court is investigating alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides. Despite international outcry, the RSF did not respond to requests for comment on the latest shelling.
The ongoing violence underscores Sudan’s deepening humanitarian crisis, with el-Fasher’s residents enduring unimaginable hardship as the world struggles to respond.
