Seven civilians were killed and 71 others injured in artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan.
Local doctors denounced the civilian killings as a “massacre,” warning that the situation in the city amounts to “an integrated genocide, involving bombardment, siege, and systematic starvation of residents.”
The Sudanese Doctors Network held the RSF responsible for the attack and called on the international community and local authorities to take “urgent and immediate action to halt the shelling and open safe humanitarian corridors.”
This incident follows a similar attack on Thursday, where 24 people were killed and 55 others injured in RSF artillery shelling targeting a marketplace and the Awlad al-Rif neighborhood in El-Fasher.
El-Fasher has been under siege since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings over the risks of fighting in the city, which serves as a hub for humanitarian operations across Darfur’s five states.
The ongoing conflict between the army and RSF has resulted in significant humanitarian crises, with over 20,000 victims killed and 14 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities.
However, research from US universities estimates the death toll at around 130,000.
