Sudan army says RSF shelling kills 7 civilians in El Fasher
April 20, 2025 (EL FASHER) – At least seven civilians were killed and others wounded in Sudan’s North Darfur capital El Fasher on Sunday, the army said, blaming continued artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Separately, the army reported repelling a major RSF attack in west Omdurman.
The violence exacerbates a deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in El Fasher. The RSF has encircled the city, and ongoing shelling of civilian areas has reportedly caused hundreds of deaths in recent weeks, according to residents and previous reports.
The army’s 6th Infantry Division Command confirmed Sunday’s casualties in a statement obtained by Sudan Tribune, saying, “seven civilians were killed and several others injured after being targeted by the Rapid Support militia with a 120mm mortar.”
Eyewitnesses in El Fasher told Sudan Tribune that shells struck multiple residential neighbourhoods, including Al-Radif, Al-Ziyadiyah, and Al-Daraja Al-Oula. The army command headquarters and the former UNAMID peacekeeping mission base were also reportedly hit, causing significant casualties and infrastructure damage, the witnesses said.
Fighting in Omdurman
Meanwhile, in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital Khartoum, heavy fighting erupted in the western districts.
Military sources told Sudan Tribune that the army, supported by elements of the General Intelligence Service and Central Reserve Police, fought off a large-scale RSF assault. The targets included the 125th Brigade headquarters in the Fittasha area, near the border with North Kordofan state, and the Central Reserve Police’s “Eagles” combat camp in the Naivasha area, the sources said.
The sources claimed the army inflicted “heavy losses in lives and war materiel” on the attacking RSF force, forcing its remnants to withdraw towards Muwailih town and the key Omdurman-Bara export road.
The clashes follow recent army advances in West Omdurman, where government forces recaptured territory, including military bases seized by the RSF early in the conflict which erupted in April last year.
The military sources added that the army plans further operations to cut the Omdurman-Bara road, a vital supply line, and besiege remaining RSF elements in pockets of West Omdurman’s Dar es Salaam neighbourhood and South Omdurman’s Salha district.