Sudan army says 45 civilians killed in El Fasher shelling

April 29, 2025 (EL FASHER) – Sudan’s army said on Tuesday that 45 civilians had been killed and others injured in two days of artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state.

The army statement followed fierce fighting on Monday when the RSF heavily shelled southern, northern, and western parts of the city with artillery and drones before launching a large ground assault towards the centre. The army and allied forces said they repelled the attack.

The army’s 6th Infantry Division, based in El Fasher, said in the statement that “five civilians were killed today, Tuesday, due to indiscriminate artillery shelling” by the RSF on city neighbourhoods.

It said shelling, reportedly with a 120mm weapon, injured 10 other people who were taken to hospitals for treatment.

The division claimed that RSF shelling on Monday killed approximately 41 civilians, including women and children, when residential areas were hit.

The statement also claimed the army and its allies killed about 600 RSF fighters during Monday’s attack, including the attacking force’s commander, identified as a brigadier general, and destroyed 25 RSF military vehicles.

Residents in El Fasher face severe shortages of food, medicine, and drinking water amid ongoing shelling, which locals say has intensified since the RSF took control of the nearby Zamzam camp on April 14.

The Joint Force, an alliance of armed groups fighting alongside the army, has rejected a recent RSF call for forces to evacuate the city in exchange for safe passage.