(MENAFN) At least 24 people lost their lives and 55 others were wounded in a deadly attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, medics reported Thursday.

The Sudan Doctors Network released a statement confirming that the RSF targeted a busy central marketplace and the Awlad Al-Reef neighborhood in El-Fasher. The assault resulted in 24 fatalities and left 55 injured, including five women.

“This heinous crime adds to a series of war crimes and acts of genocide targeting unarmed civilians in El-Fasher for more than a year, amidst a tight siege and a severe shortage of food, medicine, and essential services,” the organization said.

The group urgently called on the international community to intervene, demanding immediate action to halt the deliberate shelling and the ongoing siege. It emphasized the need to pressure the RSF leadership “to halt the ongoing genocide and systematic starvation of unarmed civilians in El-Fasher.”

There has been no immediate response from the RSF regarding these allegations.

Since May, El-Fasher has been under siege, with numerous reports accusing the RSF of repeatedly shelling civilian zones despite international appeals to safeguard humanitarian corridors.

The conflict between Sudan’s army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has claimed over 20,000 lives and displaced 14 million people, according to the United Nations and local authorities. However, studies from U.S. universities suggest the death toll may be closer to 130,000.

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