KHARTOUM, Sudan
At least nine civilians, including four children, were killed and seven others injured by paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling in El-Fasher, the capital of the North Darfur State in western Sudan, the army said on Sunday.
“Rapid Support Forces targeted neighborhoods of El-Fasher city by artillery shelling, resulting in the deaths of nine people, including four children of varying ages,” said a military statement.
Seven injured people were hospitalized for medical attention, the statement said.
During a sweep of the city, the Sudanese army forces killed six militia members and destroyed three combat vehicles as well as disrupting others, according to the statement.
There was no immediate comment from the RSF on the army report.
Separately, the Sudanese Civil Defense forces announced on Sunday that they have full control over fires triggered since Monday after RSF drone strikes on fuel depots and a power station in Port Sudan.
“All fires in strategic fuel depots and various locations in Port Sudan have been completely controlled,” said the civil defense director, Othman Atta, in a statement.
On Tuesday, Sudanese authorities accused the RSF of being behind the drone strikes on fuel depots at the southern port, the Port Sudan Airport, and a local power facility. The RSF has not commented on the allegations.
Since April 2023, the RSF has been battling the army for control of Sudan, resulting in thousands of deaths and creating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
More than 20,000 people have been killed and 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US scholars, however, puts the death toll at around 130,000.
