ALBAWABA- At least 41 civilians were killed and dozens more injured after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a massive artillery assault on El Fasher on Monday, according to the Sudanese Army.
The attack, described as one of the fiercest to date, involved nearly 300 RSF combat vehicles and two strategic drones, marking a significant escalation in the battle for control of Darfur’s last Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) stronghold.
The RSF reportedly bombarded the headquarters of the Sudanese Army’s Sixth Division in El Fasher with artillery before launching a ground assault.
However, alongside allied armed movements operating under a joint command, Sudanese Army forces successfully repelled the offensive after intense day-long clashes.
Military sources told Al Jazeera Net that the battle raged across three axes and involved both heavy and light weaponry.
Colonel Ahmed Hussein Mustafa, spokesperson for the joint force, described the fighting as intense and confirmed that the army seized 17 RSF vehicles and destroyed several others. According to him, 245 RSF fighters were killed and 133 were wounded.
“We dealt with the attack with precision, forcing many of the attackers to flee. Our operations to secure the region and tighten control over militia movements will continue,” Mustafa added.
Despite this military success, the humanitarian toll continues to mount. A spokesperson for the Zamzam camp for displaced persons, located south of El Fasher, reported that RSF fighters detained 40 humanitarian workers, including doctors and aid staff, during an attempted evacuation from the camp.
El Fasher, located over 800 kilometers southwest of the capital Khartoum, has faced repeated RSF assaults over the past year as the paramilitary group seeks full control over Darfur.
The latest attack follows less than a month after a devastating RSF raid, backed by allied militias, on the Zamzam IDP camp, 15 kilometers south of the city. That attack killed 1,500 people and displaced nearly one million, according to Al Jazeera, based on local displacement committees.
