Sudan conflict: At Least 11 killed, dozens injured in renewed El-Fasher clashes

At least 11 civilians have been killed and dozens injured as heavy fighting resumed in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State on June 1, 2024.

The conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), allied armed groups, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has intensified, turning the historical capital of Darfur into a war zone.

Since May 10, 2024, El-Fasher has witnessed intense clashes between the SAF and the RSF, resulting in significant civilian casualties and mass displacement. A brief period of relative calm had emerged recently, despite ongoing artillery shelling by the RSF.

However, this fragile peace was shattered on Saturday when renewed artillery bombardments by the RSF and airstrikes by SAF warplanes hit residential areas.

Witnesses who spoke to the Sudan Tribune described the renewed violence as “bloody clashes,” with RSF and joint forces engaging in fierce battles in the southern and eastern parts of the city, utilising a variety of weapons.

Mubarak Suleiman, a local volunteer, told the Sudan Tribune that RSF artillery fire caused numerous casualties and extensive damage to homes in the Birinja and Al-Wahda neighbourhoods. He also noted the ongoing mass exodus of residents from El-Fasher towards the localities of Tawila, Al-Kuma, Kutum, and other areas.

According to the Sudan Tribune, a medical source from the Sayed Al-Shuhada Medical Center, which was recently reopened through community efforts, confirmed the arrival of around 11 bodies and 42 injured individuals as a result of the RSF shelling.

People fleeing the violence in West Darfur, Sudan, cross the border into the Adre area of Chad on August 4, 2023. (Photo: Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

Despite claims on RSF-affiliated social media that their forces had captured the Al-Wahda neighbourhood, a joint forces field commander disputed this, stating that SAF had successfully repelled the attack and inflicted significant losses on the RSF. He added that their forces had driven the RSF to the eastern outskirts of El-Fasher.

"Appaling"

United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan Clementine Nkweta-Salami said civilians in El-Fasher are under attack from all sides, saying the news of reported casualties and human rights abuses are appalling.

“We are receiving deeply worrying reports that medical facilities, displacement camps and critical civilian infrastructure have been targeted by parties to the conflict. Families, including children and elderly people, are being prevented from leaving the city as they search for safety,” she said.

Salami added that many parts of El Fasher have been left without electricity or water and a growing proportion of the population has limited access to food, healthcare and other basic necessities and essential services.

“After more than a year of brutal conflict, families have exhausted their scarce resources and their resilience is being eroded with each day of violence,” she said.

She called on all parties to avoid using explosive weapons in populated areas and take all feasible precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“Wars have rules that must be respected by all, no matter what,” she said.

According to the UN Humanitarian Affairs Office, OCHA, citing data from the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM), the war has displaced more than seven million people inside Sudan and more than half of them are children.

This is in addition to the estimated two million who have fled to neighbouring countries since the conflict erupted in April 2023.

The agency has warned that 18 million people across the country are going hungry, and five million are on the brink of famine.