89 people killed by RSF in Sudan's El Fasher City: UN

Geneva: The United Nations announced on Friday that at least 89 people were killed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fire in the besieged city of El Fashe...

Geneva: The United Nations announced on Friday that at least 89 people were killed by Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fire in the besieged city of El Fasher and the adjacent Abu Shouk camp over the course of ten days this August. Jeremy Laurence, spokesman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said during a press conference that the besieged city of El Fasher and Abu Shouk camp witnessed brutal attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), resulting in the deaths of at least 89 civilians in the ten days leading up to August 20. He expected the actual number of civilian casualties to be much higher. He stressed the need for an immediate end to these unacceptable attacks, expressing his shock at the civilian casualties in the same area, where 16 civilians were executed, while others from a single tribe of African origin were killed in the Abu Shouk camp. He considered this pattern of targeting civilians and deliberate killing as a grave violation of international humanitarian law and confirms the international community's deep concerns about the escalation of ethnically motivated violence.

In a related context, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that El Fasher is facing a severe humanitarian and health crisis due to armed conflict, siege, and displacement. Spokesperson Christian Lindmeier noted that civilians are facing severe food shortages, increasing deaths from malnutrition, and a severe shortage of health services. The UN official also noted that the Darfur region is facing a widespread cholera outbreak affecting communities and displacement camps, placing additional pressure on already weak services. He confirmed that all 18 states in Sudan have recorded cholera cases, with the number of recorded cases reaching 48,768 by August 11, and the death toll reaching 1,094. It is worth noting that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been waging a war against the army since mid-April 2023, have imposed a siege on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, since May 2024.