Sudan Crisis: 57 Killed in Darfur as El-Fasher Civilians Brace for Bloodshed

In the heart of Sudan’s conflict-ridden Darfur region, the city of El-Fasher has become a symbol of desperation, resilience—and the terrifying uncertainty of what comes next.

Over the past few days, at least 57 civilians have been killed, with hundreds more wounded or displaced, as clashes intensify between Sudan’s army and the powerful paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The city, long under siege by RSF fighters, now finds itself caught in what many fear is the prelude to an all-out bloodbath.

The local resistance committee, one of the few grassroots organizations still able to operate, confirmed the latest round of deaths followed heavy artillery fire unleashed by the RSF on Wednesday. It was another chapter in a war that has already consumed so many lives and left millions in its wake.

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Just days earlier, the world watched in horror as the RSF launched devastating assaults across El-Fasher and nearby displacement camps, reportedly killing over 400 people—a figure confirmed by the United Nations. Aid workers say the attacks were indiscriminate and targeted areas where the most vulnerable had gathered: families, the elderly, and children.

Among the displaced is Mohamed, a local aid coordinator who had already been forced to flee once from the famine-stricken Zamzam camp.

Now sheltering in El-Fasher, he paints a grim picture. “The shelling has not stopped,” he said, his voice weary but defiant. “A hundred shells fall in the city centre every single day.” For safety reasons, he asked that only his first name be used.

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The RSF, locked in a brutal power struggle with the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, has gradually tightened its grip on Darfur. El-Fasher is now the last major city in the region still held by the army, and with the RSF stepping up its offensive after the military reclaimed the capital Khartoum, the stakes have never been higher.

The United Nations and international aid agencies have issued stark warnings: a full-blown assault on El-Fasher would be catastrophic. Already, UNICEF has described the city as “hell on earth” for the estimated 825,000 children who remain trapped inside, their lives hanging in the balance as artillery echoes through the streets.

This week marked the third year of war in Sudan—a devastating conflict that has fractured the country, killed tens of thousands, and left more than 13 million people displaced.

The humanitarian crisis has spiraled into one of the worst on the planet. Hunger is rampant. Medicine is scarce. Families are fractured, many with no idea if loved ones are alive or dead.

Sudan has effectively been split in two. The army maintains control over the centre, north, and east, while the RSF and its allied militias dominate most of Darfur and parts of the south. And in El-Fasher, that divide is more than geographic—it’s playing out violently, every hour, with terrifying consequences for civilians caught in the crossfire.