6 dead, 12 injured as RSF continues shelling North Darfur

El Fasher Resistance Committees in the North Darfur capital reported that six people were killed, and twelve others injured, in artillery shelling over the weekend targeting El Fasher and the Zamzam camp for displaced people.

In a statement yesterday, the El Fasher resistance committee said that at least four people were killed, and others injured, as a result of shelling in Zamzam camp allegedly carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a follow-up statement today, seen by Dabanga, the committee reported two additional deaths, 12 injuries, and significant property damage. It noted that the extent of destruction remains unclear due to disruptions to satellite internet services in the area.

In an X post earlier today, Doctors Without Borders (MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières) said that an RSF attack “created a living nightmare” in Zamzam camp since yesterday evening.

“The situation is beyond chaotic: patients and medical staff are leaving the camp and trying to run for their lives. MSF’s hospital is now empty, with the last three ICU patients—still dependent on oxygen—evacuated under dangerous conditions”, MSF stated.

Darfur Governor Minni Minawi accused the RSF of shelling Zamzam camp, describing it “the sole haven for all displaced Darfuris” from across the region in a post on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday. He condemned the attack and accused unnamed foreign entities of supporting the RSF.

According to local sources, the RSF had bombed El Fasher’s Naivasha market on Saturday, injuring several people. Meanwhile, the Darfur Joint Forces* stated yesterday that they had intercepted “dangerous weapons” near Nyala, the capital of South Darfur, which were allegedly intended for use in the ongoing battle for El Fasher.

The RSF has yet to respond to any of these allegations.

A November report by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research revealed the construction of defensive positions around Zamzam camp, observed through satellite imagery. Recent warnings from various parties have highlighted the risk of clashes between armed groups stationed near the camp, raising fears that the conflict could spill into the camp itself.

This escalation adds to the already dire humanitarian situation in Darfur, where thousands of civilians remain displaced amidst ongoing violence.

* The Darfur Joint Force was formed in June 2022, as agreed on in the 2020 Juba Peace Agreement (JPA), to protect the people in the region. The force was made up of fighters of the Sudan Liberation Movement faction headed by Darfur Governor Minni Minawi (SLM-MM), the JEM faction led by Finance Minister Gibril Ibrahim (JEM-GI), and several small rebel groups that signed the JPA. These movements renounced their neutrality in November last year and are now fighting the RSF alongside the Sudanese army. Since then, Sudanese media speak about the Joint Force of Armed Struggle Movements, while the group’s logo on their X and Facebook accounts says Sudanese Joint Force (and in Arabic Sudanese Joint Forces).