At least 35 civilians killed as RSF shells residential areas in El-Fasher, North Darfur
In a statement, the army's 6th Infantry Division, stationed in El-Fasher, said the RSF launched 'indiscriminate and scattered artillery shelling' on Thursday, targeting densely populated areas across the city.
The attack resulted in the deaths of women, children, and the elderly, while dozens of others sustained serious injuries and were transferred to local hospitals for treatment.
The army added that it successfully repelled a 'failed RSF ground assault' on the northeastern outskirts of El-Fasher.
According to the statement, government forces killed 80 RSF fighters, destroyed 10 armed vehicles, and inflicted significant losses on the group.
The RSF has not issued any official response to the army's claims.
El-Fasher, a strategic hub for humanitarian operations across all five Darfur states, has witnessed repeated and deadly clashes between the Sudanese army and RSF since May 2024, despite international appeals to prevent fighting in civilian areas.
Earlier this week, the RSF claimed it had seized control of the Zamzam refugee camp near El-Fasher after heavy clashes with government forces.
The United Nations reported that at least 400 civilians have been killed and nearly 400,000 displaced due to the escalating violence in and around the city.
Since the outbreak of conflict on April 15, 2023, between the RSF and the Sudanese army, the country has descended into one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
More than 20,000 people have been killed, and over 15 million displaced, according to the UN and local authorities. However, research from U.S.-based scholars estimates the death toll could be as high as 130,000.
In recent weeks, the RSF has reportedly lost significant territory across Sudan to advancing government forces, amid continued international calls for a ceasefire and a political resolution to the conflict. — Agencies
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These included liberalizing the economy, creating special economic zones, and attracting foreign investment. The result was a rapidly growing economy and a reemerging middle class. In Malaysia, after the severe racial riots of 1969, the country avoided descending into full-blown war by adopting a comprehensive development strategy in the 1970s, known as the New Economic Policy. It aimed to reduce economic inequality between ethnic groups, empower entrepreneurship, and expand access to education and housing — enabling a broad segment of the population to join a modern middle class. In Mozambique, after a 15-year civil war (1977–1992) that claimed over 1 million lives, the country began rebuilding by repatriating refugees, reopening schools, and reforming its financial system. Despite limited resources, it achieved relative stability through phased and community-based recovery programs. In Nigeria, Boko Haram's insurgency has killed more than 35,000 people and displaced over 2.5 million, especially in the northeast since 2009. The government has responded by launching reconstruction projects in villages such as Ngom, focusing on vocational training, small enterprises, and building local markets and schools. This has helped to restore some degree of trust between communities and the state. In Rwanda, almost 800,000 people were killed in just 100 days amid genocidal violence in 1994. In its aftermath, the country implemented a bold national reconciliation strategy that emphasized anti-corruption, women's empowerment, local governance, and a direct link between healing and development. This approach helped foster a new middle class and achieve notable economic growth, despite limited natural resources. 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