RSF shelling kills 21 civilians in Sennar village

WAD MADANI – At least 21 civilians were killed and 40 wounded on Thursday evening when mortar shells fired by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the village of El-Sheikh El-Samani in Sennar state, residents said.

Bashir El Sheikh, who accompanied the wounded to Sennar town, told Sudan Post that the shelling began around 5:00 p.m. and originated from across the Blue Nile River near villages controlled by the RSF.

He said seven shells hit El-Sheikh El-Samani, resulting in the initial deaths of 17 people, with the number rising to 21 by Friday.

“Several of the injured sustained critical wounds,” El Sheikh said.

He claimed that the RSF sent warnings a day earlier about shelling in the lead-up to the Eid al-Adha holiday.

“We didn’t take it seriously, and what happened is what they said,” El Sheikh said. “There are no army positions in the village and not even a single police station.”

The latest attack by the paramilitary group comes just days after a similar incident in Al Jazira State, where the RSF allegedly attacked and killed over 140 civilians in the village of Al Nour.

RSF fighters used heavy machinery during that assault, sparking international condemnation.

El-Sheikh El-Samani, located northwest of East Sennar, is separated by the Blue Nile River from the nearest RSF-controlled territory. This includes the villages of Jamal Somtobar and El Denegyla, believed to be the source of the shelling.

Sennar is currently under the control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the ongoing conflict with the RSF. In contrast, the RSF controls Al Jazira State, which they seized after attacking the capital Wad Madani in December of last year.