Sudan’s foreign minister condemns RSF attacks on civilians in El Fasher

KHAROTUM – Sudan’s ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed grave concern over what it described as an ongoing campaign of “terrorism and genocide” by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeting civilians in El Fasher and Surrounding areas in North Darfur.

In an official statement released on Monday, the ministry condemned the recent wave of RSF assaults, which it said have killed 450 displaced civilians, including women and children. Among the dead are nine humanitarian workers from the international organization relief, the statement added.

The ministry called on “brotherly and friendly nations”, as well as regional and international organizations, to strongly denounce the RSF’s actions. It described the attacks as a flagrant violation of United Nation Security Council Resolution 2736 and a serious breach of international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions concerning the protection of civilians in armed conflicts.

“The government of Sudan urges the international community to condemn these atrocities in the strongest terms and to stand firmly with the Sudanese people in these dire circumstances,” the statement read.

The foreign ministry renewed its call for the designation of the RSF as a “terrorist militia”. It also demanded that regional backers of the paramilitary group be held accountable and compelled to halt the supply of weapons, ammunition, and foreign fighters to the RSF.

The ministry reaffirmed the Sudanese government’s commitment to working with regional and international partners to urgently lift what it described as an “illegal siege” imposed by the RSF on El Fasher. It also emphasized the need for unimpeded humanitarian access to affected populations and the protection of innocent civilians by all appropriate means.

The statement follows a series of violent RSF offensive on El Fasher, the last major city in Darfur still under control of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Over the weekend, the RSF seized control of Zamzam camp for internally displaced people (IDPs), located about 15 kilometers south of El Fasher. The takeover came after three days of relentless assaults.

The capture of Zamzam camp triggered a mass exodus, with tens of thousands of displaced people, fleeing toward El Fasher and the town of Tawila. Officials from the North Darfur ministry of health warned that the deteriorating humanitarian situation and lack of access to conflict zones have made it extremely difficult to determine the full scale of civilian’s causalities.

El Fasher, now under mounting pressure, has become a critical humanitarian and military flashpoint. Analysts warn that a full-scale RSF assault on the city could result in catastrophic. Civilian harm and further destabilize the region, which has seen repeated cycles of violence since the outbreak of Sudan’s civil war in April 2023.

As the conflict intensifies, humanitarian groups have called for urgent international intervention to prevent a wide catastrophe in Darfur and ensure the protection of civilians trapped in besieged or contested areas.