Shelling by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces killed at least seven people and wounded 71 others in El-Fasher, a medical source said Sunday, as the paramilitary group launched its fiercest offensive yet on the besieged city.
The source, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, said the true toll was “likely higher”, as many injured have been unable to reach one of the western city’s few operating hospitals due to the intensity of the RSF’s strikes.
El-Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under army control, has become the most violent front line in the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, which erupted in April 2023.
The attack, which took place on Saturday, struck several densely populated neighbourhoods in the city’s west, where RSF forces are attempting to seize control of the airport.
Among the wounded, mostly suffering shrapnel injuries, 22 were reported in critical condition, according to the source, who was reached via satellite internet to bypass a communications blackout.
Since losing control of much of central Sudan, including Khartoum earlier this year, the RSF has intensified its attacks on El-Fasher, launching fierce artillery strikes and ground incursions into densely populated neighbourhoods and the famine-hit Abu Shouk displacement camp.
The besieged population — estimated at about 300,000 — has endured severe shortages of water and food for more than a year, according to the United Nations.
Many have resorted to eating animal fodder and desperate attempts to escape into the desert often end in death from exposure, starvation or violence.
The RSF, which recently announced the formation of a parallel government in the region, would control all five Darfur state capitals if it successfully captures El-Fasher.
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© Agence France-Presse
