By Violet Ikong

At least 70 civilians were killed on Friday, September 19, in a drone strike in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur. The attack, which also left many injured, targeted a mosque in Darja Awlaa, a neighborhood west of the city where worshippers had gathered for morning prayers.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemeti), have been accused of carrying out the strike—described as one of the deadliest since Sudan’s war began in April 2023.

According to Sudan War Monitor, many victims were crushed under bricks and rubble, with rescue efforts hampered by the ongoing siege of the city.

The Coordination of El Fasher Resistance Committees condemned both Sudan’s central government and former rebel leaders from Darfur, accusing them of neglecting what it called “genocide in the region” and abandoning civilians.

“The noose has tightened, the siege and death have grown harsher in every corner, while the central authority and Darfur leaders stand on the pavement watching death as a show,” the group said in a statement.

UN expresses dismay

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres expressed dismay at “the rapidly deteriorating situation” in El Fasher. His spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said in a statement on Saturday that civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.

“With El Fasher having been under a tightening siege by the Rapid Support Forces for more than 500 days, attacks affecting civilians have further intensified in recent weeks, with the majority of the residents of the Abu Shouk displacement camp reportedly having been forced to flee due to relentless shelling and raids,” Dujarric said.

“The fighting must stop now.”

The Sudanese army said Friday’s mosque strike was carried out by the RSF, which has been battling the military for control of the country since April 2023.

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War crimes and humanitarian catastrophe

International humanitarian organizations and rights groups have condemned the mosque attack, calling it a war crime.

Denise Brown, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, said:

“It is a war crime to intentionally direct attacks against buildings dedicated to religion. This attack, reportedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), must be investigated and the perpetrators held accountable.”

Ruins of the mosque where worshippers were killed. Photo credit: Sudan War Monitor

The Sudan Doctors Network denounced what it described as the RSF’s “blatant disregard for humanitarian and religious values and international humanitarian law,” urging urgent international intervention to protect civilians and open humanitarian corridors.

Beyond the immediate bloodshed, civilians in El Fasher face what aid agencies describe as catastrophic conditions. Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), a global nonprofit, reports that families trapped in El Fasher and nearby Abu Shouk camp are enduring hunger, thirst, and disease—with no safe path to escape.

Dr. Felicity Gray, NP’s Global Head of Policy and Advocacy, warned:

“In North Darfur, families trapped in El Fasher and Abu Shouk are facing devastating risks, as much inside the camps as with every attempt to leave—the roads are blocked, the desert is unforgiving, and those seeking safety often face physical and sexual harassment, robbery, and sometimes disappear along the way.”

According to Dr. Gray, food has run out, water trucking has stopped, and community kitchens have closed. Families have been reduced to eating animal fodder and food waste, sometimes with fatal consequences.

“People fleeing El Fasher arrive at displacement sites exhausted, malnourished, and often carrying children who are sick or injured,” Dr. Gray said. “The lack of medical care and clean water fuels the spread of deadly diseases, with cholera and severe acute malnutrition taking root among thousands of children.”

Displacement offers little reprieve, as overcrowded sites are overwhelmed by hunger and disease, while those outside the camps receive no aid at all.

RSF advances and Yale report

Friday’s strike was the second major attack in El Fasher in less than a week. On September 16, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that 18 people were killed and 14 others abducted by RSF militias on the city’s outskirts.

Meanwhile, a report released Thursday by the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) said El Fasher appears to be falling to the RSF and that the group likely controls the Abu Shouk camp for internally displaced people.

The HRL said it based its assessment on RSF’s use of advanced weaponry and the Sudanese army’s lack of sufficient forces and supplies to defend the city.

“The results of RSF’s capture and control of Abu Shouk IDP Camp and encirclement of El Fasher have already proven catastrophic for civilians,” the report stated.

El Fasher has been under RSF siege for more than 500 days. The city is home to thousands of displaced people who fled villages and camps across Darfur after waves of violence targeting African communities, including the Zaghawa, Fur, and Masalit tribes. Human rights groups have described the campaign as an ethnic-motivated genocide.

A United Nations report released on September 19 stated that at least 3,384 people were killed in Sudan’s war between January 1 and June 30 this year, with most casualties recorded in Darfur, Kordofan, and Khartoum.

Eloge Willy Kaneza contributed to this story