Over 60 killed or wounded in two days of Sudan's RSF shelling on civilians in El Fasher, North Darfur

Over 60 killed or wounded in two days of Sudan's RSF shelling on civilians in El Fasher, North Darfur

On Wednesday, reports indicate that RSF artillery struck a packed displacement shelter within a mosque in El Fasher's Abushouk al-Hilla area, leaving at least 35 people dead or wounded.

More than 60 people have been killed or wounded in two days of Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling on civilian sites in El Fasher, North Darfur, medical groups have reported, as the paramilitary group steps up its campaign to seize the city.

On Wednesday, reports indicate that RSF artillery struck a packed displacement shelter within a mosque in El Fasher's Abushouk al-Hilla area, leaving at least 35 people dead or wounded and sending terrified residents fleeing.

On Tuesday evening, the Sudan Doctors Network says, the RSF shelled the Saudi Hospital for Women and Maternity, the city's only functioning medical facility, killing 12 people and wounding 17, including patients and staff.

"In yet another horrific crime against civilians, El Fasher Hospital was directly bombed today, resulting in the deaths of 12 people and the injury of 17 others, including a doctor and a nurse who were carrying out their humanitarian duties to save lives within the hospital," said the group in a statement on X.

Further, the Sudan Doctors' Network denounced the strike on the hospital as a war crime, accusing the RSF of deliberately targeting civilians. The group also called on the international community to intervene immediately, warning that "international silence on this continuous bloodshed is a deliberate complicity."

According to The Sudan Tribune, witnesses say the paramilitary group has increasingly focused attacks on hospitals, shelters, and other civilian gathering points, seemingly in an effort to drive residents out of the city.

El Fasher is now the last major urban centre in Darfur not under RSF control. The city has been under siege since April, with the RSF offensive intensifying in September, cutting off access to food, medicine and other essential supplies for residents.

The assaults come days after satellite images analysed by the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) showed that the RSF had deployed at least 43 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at Nyala airport in South Darfur.

HRL noted that the drones were absent in imagery from September 26, signalling a rapid military buildup at the RSF-controlled airbase and a "sign of imminent attack." The UAVs' long firing range means they could strike targets across a wide area, putting towns and civilian sites throughout the region at risk.

"The presence of this combination of UAVs in the position observed should be considered a sign of imminent attack. These UAVs represent a clear and present danger to civilians, critical infrastructure, and humanitarian aid access," said HRL then.

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