43 killed in Rapid Support Forces strike on mosque in Sudan’s El-Fashir

By Adel Abdelrheem and Ikram Kouachi

KHARTOUM, Sudan / ANKARA (AA) – At least 43 people were killed on Friday when Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out an airstrike on a mosque in El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, the Sudan Doctors’ Network said.

In a statement, the independent network said: “The Rapid Support Forces committed a horrific crime in El-Fashir at dawn today, targeting a mosque during Fajr prayers, resulting in the deaths of 43 worshippers, with others seriously injured.”

The network condemned the attack as a “grotesque crime that violates all international and humanitarian laws,” adding: “Targeting unarmed civilians constitutes a fully-fledged war crime, a stain on the perpetrators’ record, and demonstrates a flagrant violation of human, religious, and international law values.”

There was no immediate comment from the Rapid Support Forces regarding the strike.

The RSF has imposed a blockade on El-Fashir since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings about the dangers to the city, a hub for humanitarian operations in the five Darfur states.

Since mid-April 2023, clashes between Sudanese army forces and the RSF have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced some 15 million, according to UN and local authorities, while a study by American universities estimates the death toll at approximately 130,000.