Khartoum – Military sources reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched on Monday a large-scale attack from three directions on the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, in a new attempt to seize control of the city, which has been under a prolonged siege for weeks.
This military escalation comes amid reports of casualties caused by intense artillery shelling, while fears are growing of a worsening humanitarian situation inside the city.
The El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination accused the RSF of killing six civilians and injuring more than 24 others during an artillery attack on the city last Tuesday.
In a statement, the Coordination said that the RSF “is waging war against the hungry and the weak,” condemning the targeting of displacement centers and food kitchens.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera’s correspondent reported that the army’s Sixth Infantry Division ambushed a group of RSF fighters, inflicting losses in lives and equipment in an attempt to repel the ongoing assault on the city.
13 Civilians Killed in Shelling
The Sudan Doctors Network said that 13 Sudanese were killed and 19 others wounded—including seven children and a pregnant woman—on Monday as a result of deliberate artillery shelling carried out by RSF forces on several neighborhoods in El Fasher, North Darfur State.
The Network stated that the shelling struck densely populated residential areas, causing casualties amid “extremely dire” health conditions, as most medical facilities are out of service due to the ongoing fighting in the city.
It added that “a number of bodies and wounded people remain trapped in the targeted areas, with rescue efforts hampered by continuing shelling and clashes.” The Network affirmed that the events in El Fasher amounted to “a full-fledged war crime and a systematic targeting of civilian life,” noting that such attacks occur daily amid what it described as “shameful international silence and failure to protect hundreds of thousands of besieged civilians.”
19 Injured, Including 7 Children and a Pregnant Woman
RSF forces have besieged the city of El Fasher since May 2024, intensifying artillery bombardment and ground assaults, and preventing the entry of humanitarian aid. The militia has demanded that local residents leave the city, which it has declared a “military zone.”
The city is facing a dire humanitarian crisis, with acute shortages of food and medicine, and the collapse of basic services, while military operations and clashes continue to expand.
The Sudan Doctors Network urged the United Nations, the Security Council, and the international community to “act immediately” to stop the attacks against civilians in El Fasher, to provide protection for civilians and health workers, and to establish safe humanitarian corridors for evacuating the wounded and delivering medical and food supplies to the city.
For more than a year, El Fasher has witnessed fierce fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF, amid warnings of escalating attacks against civilian areas.
