Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelling in North Darfur’s capital, El Fasher, led to at least nine civilian deaths and numerous injuries, while additional reports from Sudan’s Al Jazirah state allege widespread rape and abductions by RSF fighters. The intensified conflict has led to significant civilian displacement and international condemnation of RSF actions.
On Monday, shelling by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted residential areas in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, resulting in nine reported deaths and several injuries, according to local witnesses. The escalating violence in El Fasher—historically Darfur’s central hub—has forced many civilians to flee as heavy weaponry continues to be deployed by both the RSF and the Sudanese army.
Residents reported that the RSF shelled neighborhoods in the city’s south, southeast, west, and north, causing fatalities and extensive damage to homes. Meanwhile, Sudanese Air Force strikes targeted RSF positions around El Fasher’s primary market, where RSF forces reportedly advanced after breaching army defenses. Videos released by Sudanese forces displayed widespread looting and destruction of market properties.
Further south, RSF shelling repeatedly struck the city’s only operating livestock market, injuring civilians and damaging local businesses.
Separately, in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state, sources from the Al Jazirah Conference group alleged RSF fighters have perpetrated at least 71 sexual assaults, including cases involving minors. Among the victims was a five-year-old girl who died after being assaulted. The group stated the RSF detained dozens of women in one village, relocating some to unknown locations. The RSF has not commented on these accusations.
The Al Jazirah Conference, a civilian organization formed in response to RSF actions, reported that over 1,200 civilians have been killed across eastern and northern Al Jazirah in the past three weeks. Many of these deaths reportedly followed the defection of RSF commander Abu Aqla Kikl, who joined the army, spurring retaliatory RSF actions that led to mass displacements and international scrutiny
