Dozens Pass Away Amid Ongoing Conflict in Sudan’s Darfur

(MENAFN) Shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) resulted in the deaths of at least 18 individuals and left over 100 others wounded in El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, according to local healthcare workers on Tuesday.

The Sudan Doctors Network accused the RSF of intentionally striking residential areas in El-Fasher on Monday evening, which led to the casualties, including women and children.

In an official declaration, the medical organization described the RSF’s actions in the city as “merely another chapter in a series of brutal crimes that amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity, which the RSF has been committing for over a year in Darfur.”

The statement also held the international community, the United Nations, and the African Union “fully responsible for their disgraceful silence and failure to protect more than half a million civilians trapped inside El-Fasher, who are being subjected daily to shelling, starvation, and slow death.”

Local committees and officials in El-Fasher have frequently blamed the RSF for artillery strikes and continuous assaults on the city, which has been under siege since May 10, 2024, despite global warnings about the dangers of combat in the city, a vital center for humanitarian efforts across Darfur’s five states.

The army and the RSF have been engaged in armed conflict since April 2023, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths and displacing 14 million people, according to the United Nations and local officials.

However, research conducted by US universities suggests the death toll may be as high as 130,000.

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