RSF shells Sudanese town, killing 43 and injuring dozens
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At least 43 killed and 37 injured as RSF shells Barah in Sudan’s North Kordofan, amid escalating violence and military withdrawals in Darfur.
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Smoke rises over Khartoum, Sudan on June 8, 2023. (AP)
At least 43 people were killed and 37 others wounded after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a shelling attack on the town of Barah in Sudan’s North Kordofan province, local humanitarian officials have revealed.
The attack comes amid a sharp escalation in Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which began in April 2023.
El Fasher was the last major city in Darfur held by the Sudanese army. For months, the city endured relentless bombardment, starvation, and siege before falling to the RSF last week. Witnesses have reported mass killings, while thousands remain missing or unaccounted for.
The RSF claims it instructed its forces to protect civilians and that any violations will be punished. However, human rights groups and US officials have long accused the group of committing atrocities and ethnic cleansing in Darfur.
On October 26, RSF forces claimed they had seized the headquarters of the Sudanese army’s 6th Infantry Division in El-Fasher, the main government stronghold in North Darfur, after 18 months of fighting. Days later, Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed the military’s withdrawal from the city.
Sudan's security council rejects truce without RSF withdrawal
Al-Mayadeen sources confirmed Tuesday that Sudan’s Security and Defense Council has rejected any proposed truce unless the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) withdraw from the cities they have seized and regroup in designated camps.
The council expressed this position during a meeting held in the capital, Khartoum, in response to a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire.
According to the sources, the council resolved to maintain a state of high alert and general mobilization to confront what it described as an act of “rebellion and conspiracy.” The council also called for a widespread public mobilization to support the army in resisting RSF advances.
Meanwhile, another source told Al-Mayadeen that the Sudanese Armed Forces are preparing for major battles on both the Kordofan and Darfur fronts. The military reportedly refuses to consider a ceasefire until key strategic locations are recaptured from the RSF.
