PORT SUDAN: At least 18 people were killed in paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attack on a market in El-Fasher, Sudan, a medical source who spoke to AFP said on Friday.
The deadly attack comes as world leaders have called for an end to the suffering caused by the ongoing conflict in the country.
The attack, carried out on Thursday evening, also left dozens injured, as the RSF and the regular army continue their struggle for control of North Darfur’s capital, 17 months into the war. A source at El-Fasher Teaching Hospital reported, “We received 18 dead last night,” noting that some victims were burned while others suffered severe shrapnel injuries.
The situation in Sudan, particularly in El-Fasher, has been a focal point at this week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the UN, emphasized the need for humanitarian pauses in conflict zones like El-Fasher and Khartoum.
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El-Fasher Teaching Hospital remains one of the few facilities still accepting patients amid reports of a “full-scale assault” by the RSF on the city. Since May, the RSF has besieged El-Fasher, and famine has been declared in the nearby Zamzam refugee camp, which houses many of the city’s two million residents.
The ongoing war in Sudan has claimed tens of thousands of lives. The World Health Organization reports at least 20,000 fatalities, while US envoy Tom Perriello suggests some estimates may reach as high as 150,000.
US President Joe Biden expressed particular concern over the situation in El-Fasher, urging all nations to halt arms supplies to the rival military leaders, including Sudanese Armed Forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.
