Twenty-two people were killed and 17 others injured on Saturday in an artillery shelling of Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, more than 15 months after the war in Sudan began, according to a medical source.
A medical official at the Saudi Hospital in Al-Fashir told Agence France-Presse (AFP), "We received the bodies of 22 dead and treated 17 injured from the shelling that targeted the livestock market and the Al-Radif neighborhood today." Witnesses reported that "the areas were shelled with artillery" by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been engaged in a conflict with the Sudanese army since April 2023.
Witnesses added that "some houses were destroyed due to the falling shells."
Since early May, fierce battles have raged in Al-Fashir, the only major city in Darfur that has not fallen under RSF control. The RSF has besieged the city, which is home to hundreds of thousands of Sudanese.
Al-Fashir had experienced relative calm for two weeks after the RSF attacked a market in the city in early July, killing 15 civilians and injuring 29.
According to a report by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) on June 24, the fighting in Al-Fashir had resulted in 260 deaths up to that date.
The ongoing war between the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, has claimed tens of thousands of lives. U.S. envoy to Sudan Tom Perriello stated that the conflict has caused an estimated 150,000 deaths.
The war has also led to the displacement of 11 million Sudanese, the destruction of infrastructure, and has pushed Sudan to the brink of famine.
Both sides of the conflict face accusations of war crimes for deliberately targeting civilians and obstructing humanitarian aid.
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