Sudan experiences fatalities as paramilitary drone strike on mosque results in the death of at least 70 individuals, according to the army's announcement.
In the North Darfur region of Sudan, a drone attack on a mosque in El Fasher during prayers on Friday has left at least 70 worshippers dead. This tragic incident is just the latest in a series of attacks over the past week during heavy clashes between Sudan's paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army.
The mosque, a significant religious and community hub in El Fasher, was completely destroyed in the attack. The RSF, a rebel militia involved in escalating violence against Sudan's military, has been blamed for the drone attack. The commander of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, is at the helm of this paramilitary group.
The attack on the mosque is a stark reminder of the dire situation in El Fasher, where civilians find themselves trapped in a situation of impossible choice. They risk bombardment, starvation, and atrocities if they stay in the city, or face the risk of summary execution, sexual violence, and abduction if they choose to flee.
The damage to several structures in the Abu Shouk refugee camp, located outside El Fasher, was also visible in satellite imagery. The camp houses 450,000 displaced people and has been repeatedly attacked throughout the war. The ongoing siege of El Fasher is causing severe shortages in food, water, and medicine, with healthcare largely inaccessible under these conditions.
The ongoing fight between the RSF and the Sudanese military has resulted in at least 40,000 deaths, displaced as many as 12 million others, and pushed many to the brink of famine. The U.N. Human Rights Office's representative for Sudan, Li Fung, warned that the situation in El Fasher "continues to rapidly deteriorate."
Moreover, the RSF has targeted several unarmed civilians, including women and older adults, in displacement shelters in El Fasher. On Tuesday, the Sudan Doctors Network reported that the RSF killed 18 people and kidnapped 14 others, including three girls, in El Fasher in what it said was a surge in kidnappings.
The RSF offensives have left many wounded and involved sexual violence, summary executions of residents and humanitarians, and attacks on civilians hiding in improvised bomb shelters or attempting to flee, according to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The only working hospital offering surgery in the city, El Fasher South Hospital, is struggling to cope with the influx of injured civilians. The U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) reported at least 3,384 civilian deaths in Sudan, mostly in Darfur, between January and June 2023, with the real death toll likely significantly higher.
As the crisis in Sudan deepens, the international community must take urgent action to protect civilians and ensure access to humanitarian aid. The situation in El Fasher is a grim reminder of the human cost of conflict and the urgent need for peace.
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