28 killed, dozens injured in RSF attack on Sudan’s North Darfur, medics say

At least 28 civilians were killed and 39 others injured, including 10 women, in attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Darfur, a Sudanese medical group said Tuesday.

The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that the fatalities were reported in a rocket attack on the town of Mustariha in western Sudan.

The attack also destroyed the area's only health center. Medical personnel were attacked, and one healthcare worker was detained and has been missing ever since, the group stated.

The medical group said the attack has caused a large wave of displacement to nearby villages and settlements amid already dire humanitarian conditions.

"These attacks constitute a fully fledged crime and a blatant violation of all humanitarian and international laws that criminalize attacks against civilians," it added.

It appealed to the international community "to urgently take action to protect civilians displaced by this systematic assault, ensure the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid, and immediately work to stop the violations and hold RSF leaders directly responsible for this incident accountable, as it contravenes all international laws prohibiting attacks on civilians, their displacement, and intimidation."

The RSF controls four of Darfur's five states in western Sudan, with parts of North Darfur still under army control. The military retains influence over most of the country's remaining states, including the capital, Khartoum.

Darfur makes up about one-fifth of Sudan's territory, which spans more than 1.8 million square kilometers, while most of the country's roughly 50 million people live in areas controlled by the army.

Since April 2023, the RSF and the Sudanese army have fought over a dispute related to integrating the paramilitary force into the military. The conflict has triggered famine conditions in what is considered one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions.