ISTANBUL

At least 15 civilians were killed and dozens injured in an artillery attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur State in western Sudan, a group of local pro-democracy activists said Thursday.

The El Fasher Resistance Committees shared photos on their Facebook page showing the damage to citizens' homes caused by the artillery strikes.

Darfur Governor Minni Minnawi, in a post on the X platform, described the attack as “a heinous and terroristic crime added to the RSF's record.”

He said that “on Thursday, the RSF launched heavy artillery strikes in El Fasher, targeting unarmed civilians in their homes, the livestock market in the western part of the city, and the Al Radif and Al-Thawra neighborhoods, resulting in the deaths of dozens and many injuries,” though he did not specify the exact number of casualties.

The RSF has not issued any comments on the attack.

Since May 10, El Fasher has been the site of clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF, despite international warnings against fighting in the city, which serves as the humanitarian operations hub for the vast western region of Darfur.

Since mid-April last year, the Sudanese army and the RSF have been engaged in a conflict that has claimed 18,800 lives and displaced around 10 million people, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio