At least 85 civilians have been killed and over 110 injured in escalating clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, a local resistance committee reported on Monday.
The resistance committee, a non-governmental group based in El Fasher, stated that the RSF launched artillery attacks on the western and southern neighbourhoods of the city. The exact number of casualties remains difficult to confirm due to the ongoing security situation and communication disruptions.
Eyewitnesses reported that RSF fighters briefly entered the Al-Wohda and Al-Salam neighbourhoods west of El Fasher on Saturday before being repelled by army forces.
El Fasher’s prominent Al Mawashi livestock market was closed on Sunday following rocket attacks near its shops.
Volunteers have raised concerns about shortages of medical supplies at El Fasher’s main South Hospital. Fierce clashes have raged in the city since May 10, marking a significant escalation in the wider conflict between the SAF and RSF that began on April 15, 2023.
According to recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the conflict has resulted in 15,550 deaths and displaced over 8.8 million people nationwide.
In a separate development, eyewitnesses reported violent clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF on Sunday in Khartoum, Al Jazirah, White Nile states, and El Fasher. The army conducted airstrikes on RSF positions around the Al-Jaili Petroleum Refinery north of Khartoum, causing thick smoke plumes.
The RSF maintains control of significant areas in the city of Bahri, including the Al-Jaili refinery, while the army is positioned in several neighbourhoods north of Bahri and at military bases in the city. Army warplanes also carried out raids in areas south of Khartoum and in Alkotainh district in White Nile state.
The Wad Madani Resistance Committees reported military airstrikes against RSF gatherings in the village of Bika, west of Wad Madani, the capital of Al Jazirah state. The RSF has controlled several cities in the state, including Wad Madani, since December last year.
Eyewitnesses also reported renewed clashes between the army and RSF in northern and eastern El Fasher, involving heavy weaponry.
