Sudan's Rapid Support Forces kill 40 people in North Darfur displacement camp attack
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
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
7 hours ago
- CBC
He says extremist Israeli settlers burned his home
Wadi Alkam shows CBC's Susan Ormiston the aftermath of an attack on his home in Turmus Aya in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where violence has reached a 20-year high, according to UN monitoring.
Globe and Mail
19 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
At least 52 killed by Islamic State-affiliated rebel group in eastern Congo, UN says
Attacks blamed on an Islamic State-backed rebel group in eastern Congo killed at least 52 people this month, the UN peacekeeping mission to the central African country said Monday. The attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces, or ADF, took place Aug. 9-16 in the Beni and Lubero territories of the North Kivu province, the UN mission MONUSCO said in a statement. 'The violence was accompanied by abductions, looting, the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to populations already facing dire humanitarian conditions,' the statement said. The UN mission said the death toll of at least 52 was likely to rise. Eastern Congo has suffered several deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians. Trump's peace-for-business campaign hits roadblocks in Congo Congo and Rwanda-backed rebels sign declaration to end eastern Congo conflict Authorities said the group killed nearly 40 people in the Ituri province last month, when it stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshipers, including many women and children. The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been held responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The Congolese army has long struggled to contain the group, especially while also confronting renewed conflict involving the M23 rebel movement backed by neighboring Rwanda. Congo and the M23 rebels had agreed to sign a permanent peace deal by Aug. 18, but no agreement was announced on Monday. In recent days, both sides have accused one another of violating a ceasefire that was agreed as one of the conditions for a deal.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
Islamic State-backed rebels killed at least 52 people in eastern Congo, UN says
Health workers inspect the scene where at least 57 civilians were killed by Allied Democratic Forces rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in June. (Photographer: Str/Xinhua/Getty Images) GOMA, Congo — Attacks by Islamic State-backed rebels killed at least 52 people between Aug. 9 and 16, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo said Monday. The UN mission, known as MONUSCO, said in a statement that the attacks by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) took place in several localities of Beni and Lubero territories, in the North Kivu province. 'The violence was accompanied by abductions, looting, the burning of homes, vehicles, and motorcycles, as well as the destruction of property belonging to populations already facing dire humanitarian conditions,' the statement read, adding that the death toll is likely to rise. Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates along the border with Uganda and often targets civilians. The group killed nearly 40 people in the Ituri province last month, when it stormed a Catholic church during a vigil and opened fire on worshipers, including many women and children. The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighbouring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The Congolese army has long struggled to contain the group, especially while also confronting renewed conflict involving the M23 rebel movement backed by neighbouring Rwanda. ____ AP's Africa coverage at: Justin Kabumba, The Associated Press
