(MENAFN) At least 14 civilians lost their lives and dozens more were injured when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur State, a human rights organization reported Monday.

The independent watchdog Emergency Lawyers described the assault, which took place Saturday, as “a horrific massacre,” stating that the RSF targeted civilians attempting to flee from Qarni village, located northwest of El-Fasher. The group said 14 people were killed, and several others sustained injuries of varying severity.

In addition to the casualties, Emergency Lawyers reported that multiple civilians were abducted during the attack, although they did not disclose further details about those taken.

This deadly attack comes amid what the rights group has labeled a suffocating siege by the RSF on El-Fasher, ongoing for more than two months. According to the group, the blockade has pushed the city’s healthcare system to the brink of collapse. They also reported severe shortages of food and medicine, warning of a sharp rise in malnutrition and disease, especially among children.

Emergency Lawyers issued an urgent appeal to the international community, urging the creation of secure humanitarian corridors to facilitate civilian evacuations. It also called for a formal international investigation into the RSF’s actions in El-Fasher.

The RSF has not issued a response to the report.

El-Fasher, a critical logistics and humanitarian center for the Darfur region, has been the focal point of RSF blockades and repeated violence for over a year. This persists despite global diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and enabling humanitarian relief to reach the city.

Sudan has been mired in a brutal conflict between the national army and the RSF since April 2023. According to the UN and local officials, the war has killed more than 20,000 people and forced 14 million from their homes. However, academic research conducted by U.S. universities places the estimated death toll closer to 130,000.

MENAFN04082025000045017169ID1109882249