Sudan's Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack
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, defenseless people.' The Resistance Committees are a group of local citizens from the community that includes human rights activists.
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.
There was no mention of the fight on the RSF's Telegram channel.
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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Starvation deaths in Gaza are ‘the latest in the war on children and childhood' in territory, says UN agency – Middle East crisis live
Update: Date: 2025-08-14T06:43:54.000Z Title: Welcome and opening summary Content: Hello, and welcome to our live coverage of the war in Gaza. At least 123 people have been killed and 437 injured in the Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, according to the territory's health authorities. Hospitals also reported that eight people – including three children – died from starvation and malnutrition during the same period, bringing the total number of such deaths to 235, among them 106 children. The number of aid convoy victims recorded in the past day reached 21 dead and 185 injured, according to officials, bringing the total number killed in such incidents since the start of the war to 1,859, with more than 13,594 injured. Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), described the starvation deaths as the latest in the 'war on children' in Gaza. The Israeli military said its chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, has approved the 'main concept' for a new attack plan in the Gaza Strip, without giving further details. Reuters reports the decision comes after a rift between Israel's political leadership and its military commanders. A Hamas official accused Israeli forces of making 'aggressive' incursions into Gaza City on Wednesday after news of the plan's approval. 'The Israeli occupation forces continue to carry out aggressive incursions in Gaza City,' said Ismail Al-Thawabta, director general of the Hamas government media office. The Israeli military also said it struck a group of militants in Gaza disguised as aid workers and using a car with the logo of international charity World Central Kitchen. The charity confirmed that neither the men nor the vehicle were affiliated with it, saying in a statement: 'We strongly condemn anyone posing as World Central Kitchen or other humanitarians, as this endangers civilians and aid workers.' In Lebanon, an Israeli drone strike targeted a car on the Haris–Hadatha road in the south of the country, killing one person, according to Lebanon's health ministry. We'll bring you all the latest developments throughout the day.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Zelensky to meet Starmer at No10 ahead of Trump-Putin summit
Live Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with Sir Keir Starmer at Downing Street on Thursday morning, ahead of Donald Trump's highly-anticipated Alaska summit with Vladimir Putin. The Prime Minister's office said the Ukrainian president was due to arrive at 9.30am. The meeting comes after Sir Keir said Britain stands ready to 'increase pressure' on Russia if necessary. Meanwhile, Mr Trump has threatened Russia with 'severe consequences' if a ceasefire is rejected by Putin. During a call with the US president and European allies on Wednesday, Sir Keir praised Mr Trump for his work to bring forward a 'viable' chance of an end to the war. But concerns have been raised over Mr Zelensky's exclusion from the summit, which is set to take place on Friday. Latest updates Abbir Dib. Iona Cleave 14 August 2025 6:52am 6:52AM Why divided Ukrainians are refusing to fight for Zelensky For the past 18 months, Pavlo has barely left his house. His reclusiveness has nothing to do with the Russian bombs and drones pounding Kyiv. It is not the air strikes he fears, but his own Ukrainian countrymen. It is draft officers, seeking to press-gang able-bodied men like him into units bound for the front that he dreads. Pavlo is no conscientious objector. He regards himself as a patriot and never questions the righteousness of Ukraine's cause. Yet he – and millions like him – will not fight for their country. Reluctance to serve – or to keep serving, in the case of the ever-swelling number of deserters – has long troubled Ukraine. Now, just as Donald Trump grants Vladimir Putin the one-on-one summit the Russian president has coveted for years, that reluctance is tipping into crisis. 6:38AM Starmer to host Zelensky at Downing Street Mr Zelensky is set to arrive at 9.30am at Downing Street, the prime minister's office said. It comes after Sir Keir on Wednesday maintained there was now a 'viable' chance for a Ukraine ceasefire, ahead of talks between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin on Friday.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Grave by grave, a new project in divided Cyprus tries to mend mistrust
On opposite sides of ethnically divided Cyprus, even the resting places of the dead haven't been spared the fallout of war. Shattered granite crosses are strewn about the weed-choked Greek Cypriot cemeteries in the island's northern third that's in Turkish Cypriot hands. In the Greek Cypriot south, Muslim headstones in Turkish Cypriot cemeteries are concealed by overgrowth. Until 2003, no one could cross a United Nations-controlled buffer zone to place flowers at loved ones' graves. In the five decades since a Turkish invasion, vandalism and the ravages of time have transformed hundreds of Cyprus' cemeteries into evidence of the geographic and political rift. But even as chances for bilateral talks to end the divide appear bleak, Greek and Turkish Cypriots have teamed up to mend mistrust and push for peace, one grave at a time. Restoration is underway at 15 civilian cemeteries on each side of the so-called Green Line cutting across the Mediterranean island. Expansion of the roughly 700,000-euro project ($815,000) to more cemeteries is being considered. 'The maintenance and restoration of cemeteries constitutes one of the most symbolic and morally pressing acts for a place that strives for reconciliation," said Sotos Ktoris, a Greek Cypriot member of the committee from both communities overseeing the work. The consequences of war Turkey's 1974 invasion, triggered when Athens-backed supporters of uniting Cyprus with Greece mounted a coup, prompted some 160,000 Greek Cypriots to flee their villages to safety in the south, where the internationally recognized government is seated. Some 45,000 Turkish Cypriots moved north, where authorities declared independence a decade later. To this day, only Turkey recognizes Cyprus' northern authorities. Among the displaced were the custodians of places of worship and cemeteries, both Orthodox Christian and Muslim. Churches in the north were vandalized and looted. Mosques in the south fell into neglect and decay. As part of U.N.-mediated efforts to achieve a peace deal, both sides have found ways to address past wrongs, including the restoration of churches, mosques and other monuments by the committee. Earlier this year, Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar expanded the committee's work to cemetery restoration, with European Union funding and U.N. support and assistance. Work began in May. Seeking mutual respect Greek Cypriot workers last month were rebuilding the 100-year-old stone wall at one Muslim cemetery in Tochni, a village nestled in hilly countryside near the southern coast. Turkish Cypriot residents had outnumbered Greek Cypriots here by nearly three to one until they were transferred north a few months after the Turkish invasion ended. Many Turkish Cypriots from the north are now visiting the village to reconnect with their past, find family homes and honor their ancestors, according to Tochni's Greek Cypriot community leader, Charoulla Efstratiou. 'Just as we demand that they respect us, our dead, our religion and so forth, I believe that we owe the same respect to them,' Efstratiou said. At the Tochni cemetery, a small patch of crimson flowers emerged from the parched soil atop the grave of a man who died 65 years ago, planted recently by his descendants. Putting up crosses In the village of Palaikythro that Turkish Cypriots have renamed Balikesir, broken crosses at the Greek Cypriot cemetery have been set upright again until they're fully mended. Virtually nothing was left intact. Turkish Cypriot contractor Recep Güler said it wasn't easy to restore the external walls and gate. Mürüde Erzen, the village's Turkish Cypriot community leader, said the cemetery is part of shared cultural heritage. 'When I saw this place, I was very upset, wondering why it had become like this,' Erzen told the United Nations Development Program in footage shared with the AP. Turkish Cypriot authorities had denied the AP access. When Erzen became community leader, she resolved to do something about it. Sotiroulla Mina Iniati, the Greek Cypriot community leader of Palaikythro, said the cost of full restoration of crosses will be borne by families or the community council. Greek Cypriots continue to elect their own community leader to affirm their claim to their lost lands and preserve their memory. 'For us, this is a sacred place,' Iniati said. 'We feel that in this way, the souls of our dead who have for 51 years remain neglected, will be able to rest." An intractable dispute The last major push for a peace deal in Cyprus collapsed in 2017. Today, the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey shun the U.N.-endorsed framework for reunifying Cyprus as a federation. They insist on a two-state deal that Greek Cypriots reject because they view partition as dooming the island to Turkey's influence, with its military hardware and troops stationed there in perpetuity. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres has met Christodoulides and Tatar twice this year and is expected to meet them again in the coming months in a bid to keep peace talks alive.
