At least 60 individuals lost their lives in a drone attack on a shelter hosting displaced civilians in Al-Fashir, located in western Sudan, during the ongoing civil war in the region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that a three-day escalation in conflict resulted in casualties among civilians due to drone and artillery strikes, predominantly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), targeting the Abu Shouk and Daraja Oula neighborhoods, as well as the Al-Fashir displaced persons camp.
Furthermore, the UN rights office documented drone strikes on one of the few functioning hospitals in the area and a nearby mosque where civilians were taking refuge. Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur province, has been besieged for more than a year, trapping an estimated 260,000 civilians and becoming a focal point in the violent civil war that commenced in 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese military.
Aside from aerial and artillery assaults, Saturday’s violence included ground raids by the RSF, resulting in the summary execution of at least seven civilians in what appeared to be ethnically motivated killings. Both the RSF and the Sudanese military are under scrutiny by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Volker Turk, the chief of UNHCHR, expressed dismay at the continuous disregard for international law by the warring factions, emphasizing the need for protection of civilians and prevention of further atrocities in Al-Fashir and the broader Darfur region. The conflict in Darfur has led to a severe humanitarian crisis, causing over 40,000 fatalities, displacing more than 14 million people nationwide, and plunging regions like Darfur into famine.
Denise Brown, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Sudan, highlighted the catastrophic situation in Tawila near Al-Fashir, where nearly 600,000 internally displaced individuals are seeking refuge, many having fled the Al-Fashir siege. She emphasized the urgent need for humanitarian aid, as the current response plan is only 25 percent funded, leaving many vulnerable populations without adequate support.
Despite some local groups providing limited assistance within the besieged city, Brown stressed that the aid falls short of meeting the critical needs on the ground. Negotiations are ongoing to secure access for delivering essential supplies to Al-Fashir, where the humanitarian situation remains dire.