A drone attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, North Darfur, killed three civilians and left over 20 injured, activists reported Sunday.
According to a statement by the local resistance committee, the RSF launched four high-explosive missiles into the Awlad al-Reef neighbourhood on Saturday night. The injured included individuals with severe wounds, adding to the escalating toll in the conflict that has gripped Sudan since April 2023.
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has been under siege by RSF forces since May. The region has seen intense clashes as the RSF and Sudanese army battle for control over the war-torn Darfur area. Nearly all of Darfur is under RSF control, while the army maintains its hold in northern and eastern Sudan.
The RSF has also been accused of attacking healthcare facilities. A separate drone strike on Friday targeted El-Fasher’s Saudi Hospital, killing nine people and injuring 20. The strike forced the hospital to halt operations after it destroyed key areas, including wards and the operating theatre, according to the army-aligned health ministry.
The ongoing conflict has drawn condemnation from global organisations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the attacks on healthcare facilities “deplorable” in a post on X, urging for the protection of civilians and medical personnel.
The war between the RSF and the Sudanese army has claimed tens of thousands of lives, displaced over 11 million people, and created a humanitarian crisis described by the United Nations as one of the worst in recent history.
Last week, the Sudanese army carried out one of its deadliest airstrikes on a market in North Darfur, killing over 100 people, according to a pro-democracy lawyers’ group. Both the RSF and the army have been accused of targeting civilians, residential areas, and medical facilities indiscriminately, worsening the plight of those caught in the conflict.
