Sudanese army says RSF kills 12 civilians in el-Fasher shelling
People walk past destroyed vehicles on the grounds of a hospital in Khartoum on April 28, 2025. (AFP Photo)
At least 12 civilians, including women and children, were killed and seven others injured in renewed artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, the Sudanese army said on Wednesday.
In a statement, the military said it repelled an RSF attack on the city late Tuesday, claiming to have killed or injured dozens of RSF fighters and destroyed three military vehicles.
“The RSF militia committed a new crime by indiscriminately shelling the northern and southern neighborhoods of El-Fasher, killing 12 civilians,” the army said.
The RSF has not yet commented on the incident.
On Tuesday, the RSF had called on the army and its allied forces to surrender their weapons and withdraw from the city.
El-Fasher has witnessed intense fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF since May 2024, despite international warnings about the consequences of continued clashes in the city. El-Fasher serves as a critical hub for humanitarian operations across all five Darfur states.
Earlier this month, the RSF claimed it had taken control of the Zamzam refugee camp following clashes with government forces. According to United Nations figures, at least 400 civilians have been killed and nearly 400,000 displaced due to the fighting in the city.
The broader conflict in Sudan began on April 15, 2023, as the RSF launched a campaign against the Sudanese Armed Forces for control of the country. The fighting has since led to 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 Sudanese authorities. However, independent research by U.S.-based academics places the death toll at approximately 130,000.
