Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces unit secure the area where Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo attends a military-backed tribe’s rally, in the East Nile province, Sudan, June 22, 2019.
A devastating drone strike on a mosque in Sudan’s North Darfur has killed at least 70 worshippers. The attack, blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), hit during Friday prayers in the city of El Fasher.
Rescue workers said the mosque was completely destroyed. Many bodies are still trapped under the rubble, raising fears of a higher death toll.
Sudan’s army mourned the loss, calling it another brutal example of RSF targeting civilians.
Drone Strike Destroys Mosque in El Fasher
The strike struck the Daraga al-Oula street mosque around 5 a.m. local time. Eyewitnesses said worshippers had gathered for prayers when the drone hit.
Local aid groups confirmed that the RSF was behind the attack. Activists shared videos showing the mosque reduced to rubble, with bodies scattered nearby. The Associated Press could not independently verify the footage.
The Darfur Victims Support Organization condemned the strike, describing it as part of an ongoing pattern of atrocities against civilians.
El Fasher Under Siege
The drone strike follows a week of heavy clashes in El Fasher. Satellite images released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab revealed extensive damage from drone activity earlier in the week.
The famine-hit Abu Shouk refugee camp, housing nearly 450,000 displaced people, has also faced repeated RSF assaults. The group now controls the camp and has overrun the army’s local headquarters.
Residents report that RSF forces are targeting unarmed civilians, including women and the elderly, in shelters. Just days before, the Sudan Doctors Network accused RSF of killing 18 people and abducting 14 others in El Fasher.
Civilian Death Toll Keeps Rising
The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) reported that at least 3,384 civilians were killed in Sudan between January and June 2024. Most deaths occurred in Darfur, though the actual numbers are likely far higher.
Since April, more than 400 civilians have died in RSF attacks in North Darfur. The Zamzam displacement camp, once a haven for the displaced, was seized and turned into an RSF military base.
OHCHR documented sexual violence, kidnappings, summary executions, and strikes on civilians sheltering in makeshift bunkers.
El Fasher Residents Struggle Without Healthcare
Medical services in El Fasher have collapsed under the siege. Dr. Ezzeldin Asow of El Fasher South Hospital described patients being brought in on donkey carts. His hospital is the only facility still offering surgeries.
Doctors and nurses continue their work despite the dangers. Supplies are dwindling, and many patients die before reaching care.
UN Warns of Rapidly Deteriorating Conditions
At a UN briefing in Geneva, Li Fung, the Human Rights Office’s representative for Sudan, painted a grim picture.
“The reality on the ground in El Fasher is horrific,” Fung said. “Civilians face bombardment, famine, and atrocities if they stay. If they try to flee, they risk execution, abduction, or sexual violence.”
With no safe exit routes, civilians remain trapped in the besieged city, facing what aid agencies call “impossible choices.”
Sudan War Pushes Millions Toward Famine
Since April 2023, Sudan’s conflict between the army and RSF has escalated into a full-blown civil war. According to the World Health Organization, the war has killed at least 40,000 people and displaced 12 million others.
As battles intensify in El Fasher, humanitarian agencies warn of catastrophic famine, mass killings, and an urgent need for international intervention.
