In a shocking escalation of violence, Sudan’s paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), conducted a joint drone and artillery assault on the besieged western city of El-Fasher, resulting in the deaths of six individuals and injuries to at least ten others. The attack took place in the Al-Daraja neighborhood, as confirmed by a medical worker who spoke anonymously due to fears for their safety amid the ongoing conflict.
Since the outbreak of hostilities in April 2023, the RSF’s struggle against Sudan’s regular army has led to a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, with tens of thousands reported dead and millions displaced. El-Fasher, the last significant urban center in the Darfur region under military control, has been the focal point of the RSF’s relentless assault, highlighting the dire situation facing its residents.
The United Nations has categorized El-Fasher as a “epicenter of child suffering,” with alarming figures indicating that nearly 40 percent of children under five are experiencing acute or severe malnutrition after enduring 16 months under an RSF siege. The civilians and the army are increasingly cornered into diminishing territories, with RSF forces effectively controlling all access to and from the city, exacerbating the threat of mass starvation.
Local resistance committees have reported heart-wrenching accounts of fatalities among children due to hunger and diseases related to the humanitarian crisis. In a bid to sustain their forces, the military announced this week the successful airdrop of supplies to their 6th Division headquarters, the last military stronghold in the area.
In a demonstration of their advancing capabilities, the RSF recently released videos claiming to be within a mile of the military base, underscoring their growing territorial hold. Independent monitoring by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) revealed satellite imagery indicating substantial preparations for a large-scale drone attack from Nyala, approximately 200 kilometers south of El-Fasher. Between September 26 and 29, the HRL documented 43 drones and 20 launchers at the Nyala airport, machinery suspected of including Iranian-made Shahed drones with a considerable operational range.
The situation has escalated perilously, with a prior drone strike on a mosque in Al-Daraja claiming over 75 lives, illustrating the seriousness of the RSF’s military operations. Moreover, it has come to light that similar drone strikes targeted the wartime capital of Port Sudan in May, showcasing the RSF’s evolving tactics and extensive reach across the region. As the humanitarian situation deteriorates further, the world watches with concern as El-Fasher and its beleaguered inhabitants face an uncertain future amidst relentless violence.
