RSF shelling kills 15, wounds dozens in El-Fashir

December 11, 2024 (EL-FASHIR) – At least 15 people were killed and more than 64 wounded on Wednesday when the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shelled the city of El-Fashir and a camp for displaced people in Sudan’s North Darfur state, the health ministry said.

The RSF has intensified attacks on the Zamzam camp, located 12 km (7 miles) south of El-Fashir, since December 1, claiming it harbours members of the joint armed forces. The camp houses nearly one million people displaced by conflict.

Among the dead were five children and ten women, according to a statement from the North Darfur health ministry.

Adam Rijal, a spokesman for a displaced people’s organization, accused the RSF of indiscriminate shelling. “This is deplorable. They are mercilessly striking innocent civilians within the camp, which houses thousands of victims,” he said.

Witnesses told Sudan Tribune that the RSF fired numerous long-range artillery shells at the camp, setting fire to makeshift homes. Dozens of residents fled to the villages of Shaqra and Qulu south of El-Fashir, while others sought refuge in the city centre.

The shelling also hit El-Fashir’s livestock market, killing and wounding people and destroying shops. The market, the only one operating in the city, has been repeatedly targeted by the RSF in an apparent attempt to disrupt trade.