A deadly attack by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has left at least 14 people dead and several others wounded in the famine-stricken Abu Shouk displacement camp in Darfur, according to local rescue groups.
The shelling, which occurred on Wednesday, targeted both the market and residential sections of the camp near El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state. The Abu Shouk Emergency Response Room, part of a network of grassroots aid groups, confirmed the casualties and described the incident as “heavy artillery shelling” by the RSF.
Abu Shouk camp is home to tens of thousands of people displaced by years of conflict in Darfur, as well as those recently uprooted by the ongoing war between the RSF and the Sudanese army, which erupted in April 2023. This latest attack echoes a similar strike on May 18, also blamed on the RSF, which left 14 people dead.
Since the RSF seized control of the national capital, Khartoum, in March, it has intensified its offensive on El-Fasher—the last state capital in Darfur still under Sudanese army control. Civilians in and around El-Fasher have borne the brunt of these attacks, particularly in displacement camps like Abu Shouk.
The broader conflict has spiraled into one of the world’s gravest humanitarian disasters. Over 13 million people have been displaced, and tens of thousands have been killed. The war has also fueled what the United Nations describes as the largest hunger crisis globally, with famine looming in several regions.
Sudan now finds itself effectively split: the army controls the central, northern, and eastern regions, while the RSF holds most of Darfur and parts of the south, aided by local militias.
As the fighting continues, humanitarian access remains severely limited. Aid agencies and grassroots groups are struggling to provide food, shelter, and medical support to millions trapped in the conflict. With little progress on peace talks, the people of Sudan especially in vulnerable areas like Abu Shouk remain caught in a relentless cycle of violence and despair.
