RSF accused of shelling hospital, abducting eight civilians in El-Fasher
Abu Shouk, which shelters thousands of persons displaced by fighting, has now come under attack twice this month. A week ago, at least 31 people were killed, including seven children and a pregnant woman, and 13 others were injured in a similar assault.
Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) reportedly shelled a hospital in El-Fasher on Sunday and abducted eight unarmed civilians, among them women and children.
According to the Emergency Response Room, a volunteer group, RSF attacked and stormed the Abu Shouk Displacement Camp and seized six women, a three-year-old child and a 40-day-old baby, before whisking them to an unknown location.
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The group added that at least 20 people have yet to be accounted for, warning that the exact number of missing persons could increase.
Abu Shouk, which shelters thousands of persons displaced by fighting, has now come under attack twice this month. A week ago, at least 31 people were killed, including seven children and a pregnant woman, and 13 others were injured in a similar assault.
Reports indicate that the violence escalated further on Saturday when artillery fire struck the emergency and trauma unit of another hospital in El-Fasher. According to TRT Global, a doctor reported that seven people, including a hospital worker, were injured in the strike.
The shelling damaged the emergency department and forced a suspension of operations. Only three hospitals remain functional in the city, raising alarm over medical access for civilians trapped under siege.
El Fasher, capital of North Darfur state and the last major city in the vast Darfur region not under RSF control, has been the epicentre of the conflict and under siege by the RSF since May 2024.
Since losing control of the capital Khartoum in March, the RSF has intensified its offensive in western Sudan, targeting camps and critical infrastructure in an effort to consolidate power.
The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 over a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, devastating the country's infrastructure, killing tens of thousands, displacing millions and creating a severe humanitarian crisis.
The situation has further been compounded by famine and hunger, with Abu Shouk among three camps near El-Fasher where famine was officially declared late last year.
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