Sudan’s RSF attacks displacement camp near el-Fasher, leaving 40 dead

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a brutal assault on a famine-stricken displacement camp near el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, killing at least 40 people and injuring 19 others, according to local rights groups. The attack marks another escalation in the ongoing civil war, which has displaced millions and pushed vulnerable populations to the brink of starvation.

The Abu Shouk displacement camp, home to around 450,000 people, has been repeatedly targeted since the war began in April 2023.

On Monday, RSF fighters stormed sections of the camp, attacking residents inside their homes, the Emergency Response Rooms group reported on Facebook.

The Resistance Committees in el-Fasher, a network of local activists, condemned the assault, stating that it reflected “horrific violations against innocent, defenseless people.”

Satellite imagery from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) showed around 40 RSF vehicles in the camp’s northwest sector, corroborating witness accounts.

Evidence of war crimes

Yale HRL also analyzed photos and videos allegedly showing RSF forces shooting at civilians attempting to flee while hurling ethnic slurs.

Additional satellite images revealed that the RSF had blocked escape routes from el-Fasher by controlling key roads leading to Kutum and Mellit, trapping civilians in conflict zones.

Famine and humanitarian catastrophe

The Abu Shouk camp is one of two sites in Sudan suffering from severe famine, according to aid organizations.

Edem Wosornum of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that over 60 people, mostly women and children, died of malnutrition in el-Fasher in just one week.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric described Sudan’s situation as “extremely dire,” with over 12 million displaced and 40,000 killed since the war began.

Military clashes and conflicting claims

The Sudanese army claimed it repelled a large-scale RSF offensive in el-Fasher on Monday, destroying 16 vehicles and capturing 34 others.

However, the RSF asserted on Telegram that it had gained ground and seized military equipment, though it provided no details.

Darfur Governor Mini Arko Minawi declared that el-Fasher had “prevailed over those who betrayed their land,” alluding to the RSF.

Escalating violence in North Kordofan

Meanwhile, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that the RSF displaced over 3,000 families from 66 villages in North Kordofan since early August, looting their possessions and livestock.

Many fled to Khartoum and White Nile provinces.

The U.N. confirmed that recent attacks in the region killed 18 civilians and wounded many more.

As the conflict intensifies, international organizations warn of an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, with millions facing starvation and violence with no end in sight.