Sudan's paramilitaries kill more than 30 in new attack on Darfur city, activists say
By SAMY MAGDY
A paramilitary group in Sudan attacked a city in the western Darfur region, killing more than 30 people, an activist group said, in the latest deadly offensive on an area that is home to hundreds of thousands of displaced people.
The Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, and allied militias launched an offensive on el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur province, on Sunday, the Resistance Committees in the city said. Dozens of other people were wounded in the attack, said the group, which tracks the war.
The RSF renewed its attack on Monday, shelling residential buildings and open markets in the city, the activist group said. There was no immediate comment from the RSF.
El-Fasher, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) southwest of the capital, Khartoum, is under the control of the military, which has fought the RSF since Sudan descended into civil war more than two years ago, killing more than than 24,000 people, according to the United Nations, though activists say the number is likely far higher.
The RSF has been attempting to seize el-Fasher for a year to complete its control of the entire Darfur region. Since then, it has launched many attacks on the city and two major famine-hit camps for displaced people on its outskirts.
The city is now estimated to be home to more than 1 million people, many of whom have been displaced by the ongoing war and previous bouts of violence in Darfur. The RSF grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militias, mobilized two decades ago by then President Omar al-Bashir against populations that identify as Central or East African in Darfur. The Janjaweed were accused of mass killings, rapes and other atrocities.
The attacks on el-Fasher have intensified in recent months as the RSF suffered battlefield setbacks in Khartoum and other urban areas in the county's east and center.
Sunday's violence came less than a week after a two-day attack by the RSF and its allied militias on the city and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps killed more than 400 people, according to the United Nations.
Last week's attack forced up to 400,000 people to flee the Zamzam camp, Sudan's largest, which has become inaccessible to aid workers, U.N. spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.
© Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Deadly Russian Bombardment of Ukraine Further Dampens Hopes for Peace
The Associated Press An explosion is seen after a Russian air strike on Kyiv, Ukraine, on Friday, June 6, 2025. KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia struck Ukraine with a thunderous aerial bombardment overnight, further dampening hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon days after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. The barrage was one of the fiercest of the three-year war, lasting several hours, striking six Ukrainian territories, and killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. The attack came after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack Sunday on Russian military airfields. It was also hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. 'Russia doesn`t change its stripes,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The war has continued unabated even as a U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. 'The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russia's repeated refusal to offer any concessions,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in coming weeks, as is another exchange of prisoners of war. Homes are struck The attack involved 407 Russian drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. The Kyiv emergency workers were killed while responding to the strikes. 'They were working under fire to help people,' the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Russia's Defense Ministry said it aimed at Ukrainian military targets with 'long-range precision weapons' and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. But fitting a pattern for Russian attacks throughout the war, Friday's bombardment also struck apartment buildings and other non-military targets, Associated Press reporters observed. In Kyiv, explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Vitalina Vasylchenko, a 14-year-old Kyiv resident, sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. 'I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand,' she said. 'Then there was a very loud explosion. My whole life flashed before my eyes — I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack. … I'm shocked that I'm alive.' In Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the burning unit. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyiv's eastern bank were without power, city officials said. Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, the northern Chernihiv region, and the central Poltava region, where at least three people were injured. Russia also reports drone attacks In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. As a precaution, flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended overnight Thursday into Friday and then again late Friday afternoon. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network.
Japan Today
8 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan sets guidelines for expansion of AI-controlled defense systems
Japan has set guidelines for the safe development of artificial intelligence-controlled defense systems, Defense Minister Gen Nakatani said Friday, aiming to address ethical concerns over weapons that can operate without direct human involvement. The guidelines outline steps to be followed in the research and development of such defense equipment, calling for careful classification of the systems, legal and policy reviews to guarantee compliance, and technical evaluations of operational reliability. Nakatani said the guidelines are intended to "reduce risks of using AI while maximizing its benefits," adding they are expected to "provide predictability" for the private sector, with his ministry to "promote research and development activities in a responsible way." Global concerns over autonomous weapons that use AI are mounting, as the deployment of combat drones has become commonplace in the war between Russia and Ukraine and in conflicts in the Middle East. The Defense Ministry will conduct reviews to check whether systems meet requirements such as clear human accountability and operational safety, while categorizing such weaponry as "high" or "low" risk. If categorized as high risk based on whether AI influences destructive capabilities, the ministry will assess whether the equipment complies with international and domestic laws, remains under human control, and is not a fully autonomous lethal weapon. The ministry unveiled its first-ever basic policy for the promotion of AI use last July, focusing on seven fields including detection and identification of military targets, command and control, and logistical support. Last May, the Foreign Ministry submitted a paper on Japan's stance on lethal autonomous weapons systems, or LAWS, to the United Nations, stating that a "human-centric" principle should be maintained and emerging technologies must be developed and used "in a responsible manner." © KYODO
The Mainichi
3 days ago
- The Mainichi
Five countries win seats on the UN Security Council
UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- Five countries won seats on the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday in uncontested elections and will start serving two-year terms in January on the U.N.'s most powerful but deeply divided body. The 193-member General Assembly held a secret-ballot vote for the five rotating seats on the 15-member council. Bahrain received 186 votes, Congo 183 votes, Liberia 181 votes, Colombia 180 votes and Latvia 178 votes. This will be the first time on the council for Latvia, which was forcibly incorporated into the Soviet Union and gained independence again after its collapse in 1991. Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze told reporters after the vote her Baltic nation is ready for the responsibility, saying, "Our historical experience puts us in the position to understand, empathize with, and forge partnerships across every region in the world." "We know the value of freedom," she said. "We know the fragility of peace and the power of multilateralism to safeguard it." Braze said Latvia will spare no effort to achieve just and lasting peace in Ukraine and to alleviate suffering in the Middle East, Gaza, Africa and other conflicts around the globe. Bahrain will be the Arab representative on the council, and Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said his country's election to the council for a second time reinforces its determination to be "a proactive contributor" to international peace and security. "Our goal is to fortify peace and stability within our region," Al Zayani said, stressing that resolving the decades-old Palestinian-Israeli conflict is "the cornerstone for achieving peace in the region." The immediate requirement, he said, is a ceasefire and massive influx of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the release of all hostages taken from Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and progress toward a two-state solution and "a viable state of Palestine." The Security Council is mandated in the U.N. Charter with ensuring international peace and security, but it has failed in the two major conflicts because of the veto power of Russia on Ukraine and the United States, Israel's closest ally, on Gaza. There have been decades of efforts to reform the Security Council to reflect the geopolitical realities of the world in 2025, not of the post-World War II era 80 years ago, when the United Nations was established. But they have all failed. The council still includes five veto-wielding permanent members -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain and France -- and 10 elected members from the U.N.'s different regional groups. One major failing is the absence of a permanent seat for Africa or Latin America and the Caribbean. Under its current rules, five new council members are elected every year. In January, the newly elected countries will replace Algeria, Guyana, South Korea, Sierra Leone and Slovenia. Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner of Congo, which will be serving its third term on the council, told the council its election not only reflects confidence in her country, "it is also a reflection of Africa's unity and its rightful place in shaping the global peace and security agenda." Asked about the ongoing fighting by armed groups in the country's mineral-rich east, she said Congo will bring to the council the knowledge of dealing with decades of conflict, the challenges of U.N. peacekeeping operations and protecting civilians, and "the convergence between conflict, natural resources, and environmental changes." Liberia's Deputy Foreign Minister Deweh Gray, whose country was last on the council in 1961, said her country has "an unwavering resolve to make a difference for all" and to tackle the formidable challenges facing the world including conflict, inequality and climate change, "to name a few." "Liberia's vote is a vote for Africa," she said, "and we shall ensure that we follow the African common position." Colombia's U.N. Ambassador Leonor Zalabata urged all countries to unite and "keep working together in harmony with nature to preserve what we have and build peace in the world." And she said, "We invite you all to keep working in the path of human rights."
