Khartoum: At least 68 people have been killed and 19 others injured in a shelling attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on locations in El Fasher, western Sudan, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) reported.

The Sudanese Doctors Network confirmed that the attack occurred at the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, North Darfur, and described it as a "new massacre" carried out by the RSF. "In a new massacre carried out by the RSF in El Fasher, 68 patients and their companions were killed and 19 others injured due to a missile attack on the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, North Darfur," the group stated in a report on Saturday.

Hospital's emergency department destroyed

The Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, a local NGO, also verified the deadly attack. "The RSF attack on the Saudi Hospital left 68 dead and dozens injured," Xinhua news agency reported. They added that the assault had "resulted in the total destruction of the hospital's emergency department, rendering it completely out of service."

Minni Arko Minnawi, the Governor of the Darfur region, strongly condemned the RSF's actions. "The targeted department was the only one providing healthcare services to the residents of El Fasher," Minnawi said in a statement on social media platform X on Saturday.

Earlier, an RSF attack on Jebel Hilla village in North Darfur led to the deaths of at least 18 civilians and left five others injured. Ibrahim Khatir, the director-general of the state's health department, described the attack as a massacre. "On Saturday, the RSF militia committed a massacre in Jebel Hilla village east of Um Kadada district in North Darfur," Khatir said, condemning the "organised targeting of civilians by the RSF" and calling it a violation of international law and norms.

Call for international intervention

Khatir has urged the United Nations and other international bodies to intervene and hold the perpetrators accountable for these atrocities.

Since mid-April 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF. The violence has claimed at least 27,000 lives and displaced over 15 million people, according to international organisations.

Agency