Dozens killed as RSF advance on North Darfur capital El Fasher

According to the Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, the shelling began early Sunday and lasted throughout the day, leaving a trail of destruction and deepening the humanitarian crisis in the besieged city.

The Sudanese Army’s 6^th Infantry Division confirmed that 33 civilians were killed in the barrage, which it attributed to RSF forces. The RSF reportedly used 120mm and 82mm artillery, firing more than 300 shells across civilian neighborhoods.

The division described the attack as “indiscriminate and deliberate,” aimed at terrorizing the population and weakening army-held urban areas.

The RSF recently captured the Zamzam displacement camp, located just outside El Fasher, and is now attempting to advance further into the city—the last remaining major urban stronghold in Darfur still under SAF control.

The fall of Zamzam has triggered mass displacement, with thousands fleeing westward under harsh and dangerous conditions.

The 6th division reported that fleeing civilians, including those from Zamzam camp, have suffered severe abuses at the hands of RSF fighters, incidents of beatings, humiliation, and rape were recorded, particularly against women and girls.

Elderly individuals were also reportedly mistreated, with little regard for their condition.

The exact number of injured in Sunday’s shelling is still unclear, but local sources estimate dozens. Many of the wounded have been transported to the few operational hospitals and clinics that remain in the city, which is increasingly cut off due to ongoing hostilities.

Amid the humanitarian crisis, local community kitchens—known as takayas—continue to distribute food to displaced families in shelter centers across El Fasher. These initiatives are being supported by North Darfur diaspora communities and local donors, providing a lifeline to those trapped by the fighting.

In related development, the SAF announced that it had discovered crates of weapons and ammunition in a building along the southeastern front of El Fasher. Four RSF fighters were reportedly captured during the operation.

The international medical charity Medecins Sas Frontieres (MSF) issued an urgent appeal following RSF’s offensive on Zamzam, calling for an end to the siege of El Fasher and for the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow safe passage of civilians seeking to escape.

MSF reported that more than 25,000 newly displaced people have arrived in the town of Tawila, northwest of El Fasher, in recent days. The journey remains perilous, with families exposing themselves to attacks, looting, and violence as they flee.

The United Nations also issued a stark warning, estimating that between 400,000 to 450,000 people have been displaced from Zamzam, Abu Shouk, and other surrounding areas since RSF advances intensified.

Many are now heading toward Tawila, the Jebel Marra region, and remote areas lacking of infrastructure or humanitarian services.

Clementine Nkweta-Salami, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan, condemned the reported abuses, stressing that civilians must never be targeted and that displacement must not be used as a condition for accessing life-saving aid.

She warned that the large-scale displacement away from established humanitarian zones severely hampers aid delivery and risks worsening food insecurity, disease outbreaks, and acute malnutrition in North Darfur.

The ongoing insecurity and the fear of a full-scale assault on El Fasher have left civilians increasingly isolated and vulnerable, as the crisis spirals further out of control.

sudanspost.com