At least 45 civilians have lost their lives over the week-end in an assault carried out by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Al-Malha region, located approximately 210 kilometres north of El Fasher in western Sudan, according to reports from local organizations. The RSF fighters resumed their operations in both the markets and residential areas of Al-Malha, indiscriminately opening fire, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. A source from the Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the tragic toll to Xinhua.
The Sudanese Doctors Network also shared troubling updates on social media, claiming the RSF had executed 48 individuals in what it described as “mass executions.” The attack has left 63 others wounded. The network issued a warning, condemning the ethnic-based killings, and stressed that such actions by the RSF against the people of Darfur would only deepen the region’s already complex humanitarian crisis.
The RSF has yet to respond to the allegations of this deadly assault. On Thursday, the paramilitary group had declared control over the Al-Malha area, which hosts a major camp for Darfuri armed groups allied with the Sudanese army. The region holds strategic importance due to its role in controlling crucial trade routes between Sudan and Libya and its proximity to El Fasher, North Darfur’s capital. Since May 10 of the previous year, Al-Malha has been a site of intense conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF.