Over 75 killed in Rapid Support Forces strike on mosque in Sudan’s El-Fashir

KHARTOUM, Sudan / ANKARA

The Sudanese army on Friday accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of carrying out a drone strike on a mosque in El-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur state, killing more than 75 worshippers.

“The militia (Rapid Support Forces) committed a horrific crime by striking worshippers at Al-Safiya Mosque during Friday morning prayers with a drone,” the army’s Sixth Infantry Division in El-Fashir said in a statement.

The division added that the attack “resulted in the martyrdom of more than 75 citizens, including displaced persons, and injured others.”

The statement noted that army forces, backed up by joint units, repelled an RSF attack on El-Fashir's Supercam area, causing heavy casualties and equipment losses for the militia.

Earlier, the Sudan Doctors’ Network said in a statement: “The Rapid Support Forces committed a horrific crime in El-Fashir at dawn today, targeting a mosque during Fajr prayers, resulting in the deaths of 43 worshippers, with others seriously injured.”

The independent network condemned the attack as a “grotesque crime that violates all international and humanitarian laws,” adding: “Targeting unarmed civilians constitutes a fully-fledged war crime, a stain on the perpetrators’ record, and demonstrates a flagrant violation of human, religious, and international law values.”

There was no immediate comment from the Rapid Support Forces regarding the strike.

The RSF has imposed a blockade on El-Fashir since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings about the dangers to the city, a hub for humanitarian operations in the five Darfur states.

Since mid-April 2023, clashes between Sudanese army forces and the RSF have killed more than 20,000 people and displaced some 15 million, according to UN and local authorities, while a study by American universities estimates the death toll at approximately 130,000.