RSF Drone Strike on Mosque Kills Dozens in Besieged Sudanese City
A deadly RSF drone strike on a mosque in El Fasher, North Darfur, has killed at least 75 worshippers, first responders reported. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out the attack as they pushed to capture the last foothold of Sudan’s army in the region, escalating the humanitarian crisis in Darfur.
The strike targeted the al-Daraja neighborhood, where civilians from the famine-hit Abu Shouk displacement camp had sought refuge. Social media footage showed bodies trapped under rubble, highlighting the scale of the devastation. Emergency volunteers worked to recover victims amid ongoing shelling and drone attacks.
The RSF has not commented on the incident. Since April 2023, the paramilitary group has been engaged in a civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces, fighting for territorial control in Darfur. El Fasher, the region’s last army-held capital, has been under siege for over a year, with RSF forces reportedly constructing earthen walls to trap residents.
Satellite imagery shows RSF advancing around Abu Shouk camp and former UN peacekeeping bases, while artillery shelling and drone strikes continue to devastate civilians. Recent reports indicate that over 3,300 civilians were killed in Darfur between January and June alone, many during RSF offensives. Human rights groups warn that some attacks may be ethnically targeted.
Civilians are enduring extreme hardship under the siege, sheltering in shipping containers, facing starvation, disease, and constant bombardment. Advocacy groups have called for urgent international intervention to prevent further catastrophe if El Fasher falls.
The deadly RSF drone strike underscores the escalating threat to civilians in Sudan and the urgent need for humanitarian aid and global attention to protect vulnerable populations in the region.
