Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack

In this June 22, 2019 photo, a Sudanese soldier from the Rapid Support Forces or RSF, stands on his vehicle during a military-backed tribe's rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

CAIRO — Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched attacks Monday in a famine-stricken displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, killing 40 people, local rights groups said.

The Emergency Response Rooms group working at the Abu Shouk displacement camp said in a statement on Facebook that the RSF — which is at war with the Sudanese military — raided parts of the camp targeting citizens inside their homes. The community activist group, which provides assistance across Sudan, said at least 19 people were also injured.

The Abu Shouk displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, which houses around 450,000 displaced people, has been repeatedly attacked over the course of the war. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher despite frequent strikes by the RSF.

Meanwhile, the Resistance Committees in el-Fasher confirmed the attacks, saying on Facebook that the scene “reflected the extent of the horrific violations committed against innocent, defenceless people.” The Resistance Committees are a group of local citizens from the community that includes human rights activists.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University posted satellite imagery showing 40 vehicles present at the Abu Shouk Camp on Monday. In an effort to corroborate reports of the RSF attack, the lab said the vehicles were in the northwest neighborhoods of the camp.

In its report, Yale HRL said it gathered and analyzed photos and footage allegedly “showing RSF shooting at people crawling away from them and berating and using ethnic slurs.”

Other satellite imagery gathered Saturday by the group apparently showed the RSF blocking routes that people use to escape el-Fasher by controlling points across the el-Fasher to Kutum road north of the city and an opening in the direction of Mellit, North Darfur.

The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 in the capital Khartoum before spreading across the country following simmering tensions between the RSF and the army. The fighting has killed over 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million and pushed many to the brink of famine. The Abu Shouk camp is one of two camps with strong famine conditions, according to humanitarians.

The Sudanese army said it clashed with RSF fighters on Monday in el-Fasher beginning at around 6 a.m. and ending in the afternoon. It claimed it defeated the paramilitary group, according to its posts on social media.

“Our forces repelled a large-scale attack from several axes by the terrorist militia and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in lives and equipment, as more than 16 combat vehicles were destroyed and burned and 34 vehicles, including armored cars, were captured,” the army claimed in a statement.

The RSF said on its Telegram channel late Monday that it made advances in el-Fasher and seized military equipment, without providing further details.

Darfur Gov. Mini Arko Minawi said on Facebook that el-Fasher “triumphed over those who betrayed their land” in an apparent reference to the RSF in Monday’s fight.

Meanwhile, in North Kordofan province the RSF has been accused of displacing over 3,000 families from 66 villages due to fighting since early August, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group also said the RSF looted the properties of those people and stole their money and livestock. Those displaced ended up arriving at Khartoum and White Nile provinces last week. The recent attacks on the villages in the province killed 18 civilians and injured dozens, according to the latest update by the United Nations.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned Monday of the “extreme dire situation” in Sudan, while Edem Wosornum, the operations and advocacy director at the U.N.’s humanitarian affairs agency, sounded the alarm over the situation in el-Fasher, saying over 60 people died from malnutrition in only one week, mostly women and children.

Fatma Khaled, The Associated Press