Three killed in Sudan’s El Fasher as shelling escalates

September 20, 2024 (EL FASHER) – At least three people were killed and dozens wounded on Friday in escalating artillery shelling by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on populated areas in the city of El Fasher, witnesses said, amid new waves of displacement as fighting intensifies in the Darfur region.

The shelling came a day after the Sudanese army and allied armed movements said they had repelled a major RSF attack on El Fasher, the last major stronghold of the central government in Darfur.

Witnesses told Sudan Tribune that at least three people were killed when an artillery shell fired by the RSF landed on El Fasher’s main market, while dozens were wounded.

RSF artillery also targeted sites near the army’s general headquarters and El Fasher University, in addition to residential neighbourhoods, causing widespread casualties and damage to civilian homes.

Sudanese army warplanes continued to bomb RSF positions in the eastern and southern parts of El Fasher.

The fighting has triggered a new wave of displacement, with residents in El Fasher telling Sudan Tribune that large numbers of people have fled to areas in the Jebel Marra mountains controlled by the Sudan Liberation Movement, or outside the Darfur region altogether.

The conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April between the army and the RSF, has forced more than 500,000 people to flee El Fasher.