Eighteen people get killed, others harmed by RSF shelling in Sudan

(MENAFN) At least 18 people were killed and more than 100 wounded when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled residential areas in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, local medics said Tuesday.

The Sudan Doctors Network accused the RSF of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods in Monday night’s bombardment, saying the dead included women and children. The group described the attacks as “another chapter in a series of brutal crimes” that it said amounted to war crimes and crimes against humanity.

It also denounced what it called the “disgraceful silence” of the international community, the UN, and the African Union, blaming them for failing to protect more than 500,000 civilians trapped in the besieged city. Residents have faced near-daily shelling, food shortages, and dire humanitarian conditions since the RSF encircled El-Fasher on May 10, 2024.

Local committees have repeatedly accused the RSF of carrying out artillery strikes despite international warnings over the risks of escalation in El-Fasher, which serves as the main hub for aid operations across Darfur’s five states.

The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN. Independent research by US universities puts the death toll at closer to 130,000.

MENAFN02092025000045017281ID1110005487