At least 13 people, predominantly women and children, were killed by Sudan’s paramilitary forces in the Darfur region. The attack, attributed to the notorious Rapid Support Forces (RSF), occurred as part of a broader campaign of violence that has plagued the area for months. According to the Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group monitoring the ongoing civil conflict, the assault aligns with previous patterns of targeted violence against civilians.
The incident took place along a road connecting the city of el-Fasher to the nearby town of Tweila. The victims included five children, four women, and four elderly individuals, highlighting the tragic toll on vulnerable populations. The network described the attack as “another episode in the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing and genocide being perpetrated by the RSF against unarmed civilians in Darfur.”
The violence follows a serious incident the day before when RSF forces shelled a hospital in el-Fasher, resulting in injuries to a healthcare worker and six patients, among them a child and a pregnant woman. The RSF has not responded to requests for comments regarding these incidents.
The RSF’s aggressive actions are part of a strategic effort to gain control of el-Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudanese military in the region. In recent weeks, the United Nations human rights office reported that the RSF had killed at least 89 civilians within a span of 10 days, highlighting the scale of the violence and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the area.
Since the outbreak of conflict in April 2023, when tensions between the military and the RSF escalated into open warfare, Sudan has descended into chaos. The fighting has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and has led to severe famine conditions in some regions. The conflict has been marked by numerous atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence, prompting the International Criminal Court to investigate these acts as potential war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate, with the RSF imposing a total blockade on the city, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis faced by its residents. As the conflict rages on, the international community watches with growing concern over the impact on civilian populations and the ongoing violations of human rights.
