Sudan: Casualties and Injuries in RSF Shelling on Darfur

SadaNews - More than 17 people were killed and 25 injured in shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the city of El Fasher in Darfur, western Sudan, according to a medical source, while residents of the region are suffering from malnutrition and the spread of cholera amidst ongoing battles.

 

The source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, stated that "the number of dead who reached the hospital was 17, along with 25 injured, and there are additional dead buried by their families without going to the hospital due to security conditions."

The "Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher," an independent group concerned with documenting violations, confirmed that a "heavy artillery bombardment" carried out by the RSF on Saturday "targeted residential neighborhoods within the city."

The coordination stated in a statement that the attack resulted in civilian casualties and injuries, "along with significant damage to property and infrastructure."

They described the attack as "the most violent in a long time, as the shelling began in the early morning and continued until after noon, creating a state of terror and panic among the unarmed residents and leading to new waves of displacement from some affected neighborhoods."

In the north of El Fasher, the Abu Shouk IDP camp witnessed shelling on Saturday by the RSF, according to the "Abu Shouk Camp Emergency Room" group, which confirmed several deaths, without specifying their number.

The RSF has been besieging the city of El Fasher and the surrounding camps since May 2024, however, it has intensified its attacks on the city since the army regained control over Khartoum and other cities earlier this year.

El Fasher is the only major city in the Darfur region that remains outside the control of the RSF.

The war that erupted in Sudan in mid-April 2023 resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands and the displacement of millions. The country is also facing a severe humanitarian and food crisis, along with the worst cholera outbreak in years.

The RSF's attacks on the camps surrounding El Fasher, especially the Zamzam camp that housed hundreds of thousands of displaced people, have led to massive displacement and mostly emptied the camp of its inhabitants.

Most of the displaced fleeing from the El Fasher camps are crowded in the town of Talloua to the west of El Fasher, where severe malnutrition and cholera are spreading.

A responsible medical source said last week that at least 63 people died within a week due to severe malnutrition.

According to "Doctors Without Borders," at least 40 people died in the Darfur region due to cholera infections during one week.

During the past year, the organization recorded nearly 100,000 cholera cases and over 2,400 deaths.

Famine has been declared in several areas of Sudan due to a lack of food aid and rising prices of basic commodities due to fierce fighting.

The regional director of the World Food Program for East and Southern Africa, Eric Beardsley, said that everyone in El Fasher "is facing a daily struggle to survive," warning that "lives will be lost in the absence of immediate and sustainable access" to essential resources.

Prices of basic goods have skyrocketed, according to the World Food Program, which noted that the prices of sorghum and wheat used to make bread and porridge are 460% higher in El Fasher compared to other Sudanese areas.

Markets are nearly empty of goods, and most communal kitchens have closed their doors.

Some families have now resorted to consuming fodder or waste, while malnutrition levels among children have reached alarming levels.

About 40% of children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition, with 11% suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to the World Food Program.