56 Killed in Two Days During RSF Attacks in Darfur
Sudan Events – Agencies
At least 56 civilians were killed over two days in the city of Um Kadada, located in Sudan’s Darfur region, in attacks attributed to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which recently took control of the city, according to activists.
The “Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher” said in a statement on Sunday that after the RSF seized Um Kadada, they “executed 56 city residents based on ethnic grounds (…), committed widespread violations, forcibly displaced residents from the city, and shut down all communication networks,” according to AFP.
Darfur’s Minister of Health, Babiker Hamdine, said Sunday that the RSF also burned villages surrounding El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, while laying siege to the city and the Zamzam displacement camp.
Hamdine revealed that the RSF completely burned down 64 villages around El Fasher. He also said the RSF was targeting medical personnel and had rendered most of the city’s hospitals non-operational.
Civilians in El Fasher are enduring dire conditions under the RSF’s siege, which has lasted for nearly a year. El Fasher remains the last stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur, most of which is now controlled by the RSF.
The health minister described the humanitarian situation in El Fasher as “extremely dire and miserable,” citing a near-total lack of food and medicine.
He added, “What is happening in Darfur is a forgotten genocide, and the world is turning a blind eye to these grave crimes,” noting that a large-scale forced migration began on Sunday from Zamzam camp to El Fasher camp.
Darfur region governor Minni Arko Minnawi called for the classification of the RSF as a terrorist organization, saying there is ample evidence beyond any doubt.
On Sunday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that at least 23 children and 9 aid workers were killed over the past three days in El Fasher, Abu Shouk, and Zamzam camps in North Darfur.
UNICEF urged an immediate end to the “brutal acts” against civilians, children, and humanitarian workers in Sudan. The agency noted that access to Zamzam camp remains blocked and that the insecurity has made it nearly impossible to deliver humanitarian aid and commercial goods.
It warned that nearly one million people in El Fasher and Zamzam are at serious risk unless additional supplies reach the areas urgently.
Citing a local official, the report added that dozens were injured in the attacks, with nine international aid workers among the dead. Sudanese media said the RSF launched a large-scale ground assault on the camp on Friday morning “using all types of weapons.”
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned and denounced the attacks on displacement camps near El Fasher (Zamzam and Abu Shouk), which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries—violations of international law and international humanitarian law.
The ministry reaffirmed Saudi Arabia’s rejection of such violations, emphasizing the need to protect humanitarian and relief workers, halt the attacks, avoid targeting civilians, and adhere to the commitments made in the Jeddah Declaration on May 11, 2023, which calls for the protection of civilians in Sudan.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry also extended its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a swift recovery.
