CAIRO (AP) – Artillery and drone attacks by Sudanese militias hit a shelter in a besieged city in the Darfur region, killing at least 53 people, a doctors’ organization said Saturday. The onslaught was recent. More than two years of war in Sudan.
The Sudan Doctors Network, a group of medical experts tracking the war, said at least 14 children and 15 women were among the dead in late Friday’s attack. rapid support forceor RSF, City of El Fasher.
The group said 21 people were injured in the attack, including five children and seven women. Most of the injured were said to be seriously injured.
The group said the attack targeted Al-Arqam Home, a shelter for displaced families in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. The evacuation center is located within Omdurman Islamic University.
“This massacre is a continuation of the scorched-earth policy implemented by emergency relief forces against civilians and is in flagrant violation of all international norms and laws,” the medical group said.
RSF did not respond to requests for comment.
Human rights group Machado Organization described the attack as “one of the bloodiest massacres” since the RSF began attacking the city more than a year ago, and said it amounted to “an act of genocide committed before the silent Jesus of the world.”
El Fasher has been the center of fighting between the Sudanese army and militias for several months. The city is the last military stronghold in Darfur.
Militia groups, which regularly bomb the city, imposed a total blockade in July. The United Nations and other aid groups have warned that 260,000 civilians remain trapped in the city after most of the population fled RSF attacks. Residents of El Fasher also suffer from hunger and widespread disease. choleraaccording to the United Nations
Smoldering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded, plunging Sudan into chaos. Public battle in April 2023 In the capital Khartoum and elsewhere. The fighting escalated into a full-scale war, killing tens of thousands of people, forcing more than 14 million people to flee their homes, and forcing parts of the country into displacement. famine.
of devastating conflict Atrocities such as mass murder and rape have also been prominent, and are being investigated by the International Criminal Court. war crimes and crimes against humanity.
