At least 12 people were killed in shelling by Sudanese paramilitary forces in the northern part of Darfur on Saturday, according to local activists. The bombardment, carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), also left five individuals wounded, as reported by a local resistance committee, which is part of a network of volunteer groups providing aid across the region.
Following the attack near the town of Kutum, RSF fighters captured three individuals, further escalating tensions in a region that has been under their control for nearly a year amid ongoing conflict with the regular army.
Mini Minawi, the region’s governor and a former rebel leader aligned with the regular army, accused the paramilitaries of setting fire to approximately 20 villages in the area. Since the RSF’s advance last year, the regular army has largely retreated to the capital of North Darfur, El-Fasher.
The RSF has besieged El-Fasher, a city home to around two million residents, since May, contributing to a humanitarian crisis in the region. Famine has been declared in the Zamzam camp for displaced persons located south of the city.
UN officials have expressed increasing alarm over the deteriorating conditions in Darfur and across Sudan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently described the situation as a “nightmare of violence” for the Sudanese people, with thousands of civilians killed and numerous others subjected to horrific atrocities, including widespread sexual violence.
