At least 14 killed in Sudan’s El Fasher as fighting rages
An RSF vehicle destroyed outside El-Fasher by the Sudanese army and allied groups on August 10, 2024
September 21, 2024 (EL FASHER) – At least 14 people were killed in the capital of North Darfur state on Saturday as the army battled paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters attacking the city, medical and military sources said.
The RSF has been trying to capture El Fasher for weeks, defying international calls for a ceasefire.
The fighting in Darfur has taken on an ethnic dimension, with the RSF and allied Arab militias targeting the region’s non-Arab ethnic groups, according to rights groups and the United Nations.
On Saturday morning, the RSF launched artillery and drone strikes, followed by a ground assault from the north and southeast using a variety of weapons, the army said in a statement.
The army and allied forces said they repelled the attack, killing hundreds of RSF fighters and destroying many vehicles.
A medical source at the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher said at least 14 people had been killed by indiscriminate RSF shelling.
The RSF controls much of eastern El Fasher, including the stock exchange and a children’s hospital. The army holds the west, including government buildings, the airport and a university.
The conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023 between the army and the RSF, has killed thousands and displaced millions.