Five killed in drone strike on Sudan’s El Fasher, army says attack repelled

October 23, 2025 (EL FASHER) – At least five civilians were killed and more than 10 were injured in a drone strike on a market in the Sudanese city of El Fasher on Thursday, as the army and allied groups said they had repelled a major ground attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Local sources told Sudan Tribune that an explosive drone had detonated in the city’s central market, causing the casualties.

In a separate statement, the Sudanese army and allied armed movements announced they had fought off a large-scale RSF assault on the North Darfur capital that began around 3:00 a.m.

Asia Khalifa, the 6th Division’s war correspondent, said in a statement the attack was carried out under heavy cover of artillery and drone fire, with the RSF using numerous combat vehicles and foreign mercenaries, including engineers and snipers from Colombia, Chad, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.

The army said its forces inflicted “heavy losses in lives and equipment” on the attackers, destroying some vehicles and forcing the rest to withdraw.

The RSF has intensified its use of drones in recent months, targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure in the besieged city.

El Fasher is the last major city in the vast Darfur region not under the control of the RSF. The paramilitary group has besieged the city for months, leading to a severe humanitarian crisis marked by critical shortages of food and medicine that have caused numerous deaths from starvation, according to aid groups and local officials.