At least 31 killed as artillery strike hits Darfur displacement camp in western Sudan

At least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, were killed and 13 others wounded when artillery shelling struck Abu Shouk displacement camp in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, a local medical group said Saturday.

The Sudanese Doctors' Network blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for what it described as a deliberate attack on civilians, warning that the siege has left the camp with severe shortages of medicine, medical staff and food, worsening the humanitarian crisis there.

The camp's emergency room earlier reported that the northern side of Abu Shouk was hit by heavy shelling.

The committee said more victims could be trapped in the area and reported damage to property inside the camp.

Local groups in El-Fasher have repeatedly blamed the RSF for artillery strikes and assaults on the city, which has been under siege since May 2024 despite repeated international warnings over the humanitarian risks.

The UN earlier this week said it was "shocked" by reports of a large-scale assault on El-Fasher, including Abu Shouk camp. The International Organization for Migration also reported that 500 residents fled the camp on Monday amid escalating violence.

In recent weeks, the RSF has lost territory to the army, which regained control of several areas, including Khartoum and White Nile states. The paramilitary group now holds parts of North and West Kordofan, pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and four of Darfur's five states.

The army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.