KHARTOUM, Sudan/ISTANBUL

Fierce clashes continued Sunday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El-Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state in western Sudan.

The Popular Resistance in El-Fasher, a group allied with the army, said the city “is still holding out against RSF attacks.”

The El-Fasher Resistance Committees, a civilian group, confirmed that the city is witnessing fierce fighting between the army and RSF forces.

The Sudan Doctors Network, a local medical group, earlier said that a nurse was killed and three medical workers were injured when the RSF shelled the main hospital in the city.

The network described attacks targeting hospitals and health facilities as “a war crime and a blatant violation of international humanitarian law” and urged the World Health Organization (WHO) to assume responsibility for protecting medical staff and facilities.

In recent weeks, fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF has intensified across the Kordofan and Darfur regions.

The RSF have been besieging El-Fasher since May 10, 2024, as the Sudanese army seeks to break the siege of the city, which serves as the humanitarian operations center for the five Darfur states.

The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been fighting since April 2023, which 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.