At least 15 killed in Rapid Support Forces shelling in western Sudan

​​​​​​​By Adel Abdelrheem

KHARTOUM, Sudan (AA) - Sudanese activists reported Wednesday that at least 15 people were killed and 60 injured in an artillery attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher said the attack on the Zamzam refugee camp and a livestock market in the city of El Fashir, in the western part of the country using artillery fire, resulted in casualties, including to children, women and the elderly.

The General Coordination of Camps for the Displaced and Refugees separately condemned the attack as “extremely regrettable,” and emphasized that the RSF was targeting innocent civilians in the camp without mercy.

The RSF has repeatedly shelled the Zamzam camp in recent days, drawing condemnation from the UN and Médecins Sans Frontières, or Doctors Without Borders.

There has been no comment from the RSF on the attack.

Zamzam is one of the largest displaced persons camps in Darfur, with a high population density. In August, UNICEF declared a famine in the camp.

El Fasher has witnessed fierce clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF since May 10. The city is used by the UN and international aid agencies as a humanitarian operation center for the Darfur region.

The conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023 between army Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo about disagreements concerning the integration of the RSF into the military.

It has resulted in more than 16,000 deaths, displaced nearly 10 million people, and left over 25 million in need of humanitarian assistance, making it one of the world's largest displacement and hunger crises, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio​​​​​​​