Shelling kills three at Darfur IDP camp; RSF assault on El Fasher feared
April 7, 2025 (EL FASHER, Sudan) – Artillery shelling hit the Abu Shouk camp for displaced people in El Fasher, Sudan’s North Darfur state capital, on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring nine others, including children, camp officials said. They blamed the attack on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The attack comes amid fears of an imminent, large-scale RSF assault on El Fasher. Military sources told Sudan Tribune that the RSF has massed forces near the city and plans to attack within the next 24 hours.
The Abu Shouk Emergency Room committee said in a statement, “At least three displaced people were killed and nine others were injured in artillery shelling carried out by the Rapid Support Forces that hit the camp.”
The committee noted the RSF began shelling the camp heavily from early morning, causing casualties and destroying several homes.
Potential attack
Military sources speaking to Sudan Tribune warned of a potential RSF attack on El Fasher within the next 24 hours.
The sources described large RSF troop concentrations in villages north, east, and west of El Fasher, as well as significant numbers of heavily armed fighters near Shangil Tobaya, a town on the border with South Darfur state.
The sources added that the RSF has tightened its siege on El Fasher this year, displacing residents from surrounding villages and destroying water sources, causing severe shortages of goods.
On Saturday, Sudan’s government appealed to the United Nations (UN) to save civilians in El Fasher from hunger. This followed warnings from the UN children’s agency UNICEF that the lives of 825,000 children in El Fasher and the nearby Zamzam camp are at risk due to fighting and the collapse of essential services.
Civilian evacuation
Meanwhile, a group called the Sudan Founding Coalition (‘Tasis’) said in a statement that civilians and displaced people in El Fasher and surrounding camps were responding widely to its calls to evacuate areas near military front lines for their safety.
The statement explained that coalition forces continued for the second consecutive day to receive and secure hundreds of civilians fleeing danger zones, most of them women, children, and the elderly.
Coalition forces secured their movement from the city’s outskirts to safer areas and provided support including temporary shelter and urgent humanitarian supplies, the statement noted.
Separately, the administration of Zamzam camp and leaders of the Joint Force [SAF-aligned Darfur armed groups] rejected a proposal by two other groups – the Sudan Liberation Movement – Transitional Council (SLM-TC), led by Al-Hadi Idris, and the Gathering of Sudan Liberation Forces (GSLF), led by Al-Tahir Hajer – to facilitate safe passage from El Fasher and camps to the Tawila and Korma areas.
The ‘Tasis’ coalition affirmed its commitment to protecting civilians and facilitating voluntary evacuation from combat zones, renewing its call for all citizens to leave clash sites.
The Sudan Founding Coalition (‘Tasis’) was formed by armed movements, the RSF, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), the National Umma Party (NUP), and other political and civil forces. Its members signed a transitional constitution preparing the way for a parallel government.