KHARTOUM, Sudan

Several people were killed and injured on Wednesday in a recent outbreak of violence in Al-Fashir city in northern Darfur in western Sudan.

The clashes erupted between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with witnesses telling Anadolu that fierce fighting involving heavy weaponry was ongoing in the northern and eastern parts of the city.

The Abu Shouk IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camp Emergency Room released a statement, indicating that several individuals were injured in the camp due to falling shells.

Some victims reportedly died due to the lack of medical assistance both inside and outside the camp, it added.

The statement further added that over 20 injured IDPs, including children and women, arrived at the center for treatment.

Despite international warnings against fighting in the city, clashes have been ongoing since May 10 between the army, which is supported by armed movements that signed a peace agreement, and the RSF.

The Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has accused the RSF of committing unprecedented atrocities against civilians and targeting infrastructure across the country.

“In North Darfur, RSF militias have escalated their shelling of residential areas, IDP camps, and markets,” according to a statement from the ministry.

“This includes an attack on Al-Fashir Women’s and Maternity Hospital, which resulted in serious injuries to nine patients,” the statement added.

In response, the Sudanese army, alongside armed groups, claimed successful operations, inflicting significant losses on the RSF forces.

However, the RSF countered by accusing the army of bombing the city of Kebkabiya in North Darfur, resulting in civilian casualties, including children and women.

Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur and the region’s largest city, remains the only state capital in Darfur that has been spared from RSF control amid the ongoing conflict with the Sudanese army.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that nearly four million people have been displaced by the conflict in Sudan.

The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, between army general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo over disagreements about integrating the RSF into the army.

The conflict has caused a devastating humanitarian crisis, and clashes have killed nearly 16,000 people and displaced millions.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio