Deadly shelling hits North Darfur refugee camp as Sudan’s war escalates

At least 14 civilians were killed and numerous others wounded following artillery shelling by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Abu Shouk refugee camp in El-Fasher, North Darfur, a local emergency relief Committee reported on Wednesday, June 4.

The attack has drawn sharp concern as El-Fasher remains a critical humanitarian lifeline for the wider Darfur region, now imperiled by intensifying hostilities.

The Abu Shouk Emergency Committee confirmed that the assault directly targeted the densely populated camp, compounding the already dire conditions of displaced civilians. There has been no official response from the RSF regarding the incident. Clashes between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have escalated since May 2024 in El-Fasher, defying international appeals for restraint in a city central to humanitarian operations across the five Darfur states.

Sudan has plunged deeper into conflict since the power struggle erupted between the SAF and RSF in April 2023. The war has since triggered a massive humanitarian catastrophe, with over 20,000 reported deaths and 15 million people displaced, according to United Nations and local sources. However, independent research groups in the United States estimate the true death toll could be as high as 130,000, underscoring the devastating scale of the crisis amid growing global inaction.