By Adel Abdelreem and Tarek Chouiref
KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL (AA) – Several people were killed when artillery shelling struck Abu Shouk displacement camp in El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, a local committee said Saturday.
The camp’s emergency room reported that the northern side of Abu Shouk was hit by heavy shelling, though it did not specify who was behind the attack.
Local groups in El-Fasher have repeatedly blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for artillery strikes and assaults on the city, which has been under siege since May 2024 despite repeated international warnings over the humanitarian risks.
The committee said more displaced people could be trapped in the area and reported property damage inside the camp.
The UN said earlier this week that it was "shocked" by reports of a large-scale assault on El-Fasher, including the Abu Shouk camp. The International Organization for Migration also reported that 500 residents fled the camp on Monday amid escalating violence.
In recent weeks, the RSF has lost territory to the army, which regained control of several areas, including Khartoum and White Nile states. The paramilitary group now holds parts of North and West Kordofan, pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, and four of Darfur’s five states.
The army and RSF have been fighting a war since April 2023 that has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.