RSF Assault on El-Fasher Claims 75 Lives in Drone Strike

A devastating drone strike by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed at least 75 people in a mosque on September 19, 2025, as the group pressed its assault on the city of El-Fasher. This city is the last major urban area in the western region of Darfur still under the control of the regular army, which has been besieged since May 2024. The attack specifically targeted worshippers in the Al-Daraja neighbourhood, where residents displaced from the famine-affected Abu Shouk camp sought refuge.

Rescue efforts revealed that the bodies were recovered from the mosque’s rubble. The Abu Shouk Emergency Response Room, a coalition of volunteer groups, confirmed the grim details of the incident. There was no immediate response from the RSF regarding the strike, which follows a prolonged conflict with the regular army that began in April 2023. The UN human rights office expressed grave concerns about potential ethnically motivated killings linked to the ongoing violence, which has had a devastating impact on civilians.

Residents of Al-Daraja faced overwhelming challenges as they combed through the wreckage to find and bury the deceased. “We had to use plastic bags,” one resident told reporters, highlighting the dire shortage of burial shrouds due to the ongoing siege. “There are no more shrouds in the city after all this siege and death,” he added, using a satellite internet connection to communicate amidst a communications blackout. The RSF’s siege has led to severe food shortages, with many families reportedly surviving on animal feed for months.

RSF Advances and Strategic Control

Recent satellite imagery released by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab indicated that RSF forces have made significant territorial gains, including the capture of the former UN-African Union peacekeeping base. This base had previously been utilized by the Joint Forces, an alliance of armed groups supporting the regular army, which emerged following RSF-led massacres targeting the non-Arab Masalit ethnic group in the West Darfur state capital of El-Geneina. These attacks resulted in the deaths of between 10,000 and 15,000 people according to UN estimates.

An anonymous RSF source confirmed that by around 14:00 local time on Thursday, their forces had taken full control of the former UNAMID base. This significant development raises the stakes for the local population, particularly the Zaghawa ethnic group, who view the RSF as a direct existential threat.

Authorities reported that the RSF had completely overrun the nearby Abu Shouk camp, which was established to house millions displaced during earlier conflicts in Darfur. According to the United Nations, approximately 90% of the camp’s population, which was nearly 200,000 last year, has fled. Camp spokesperson Moussa Adam claimed the RSF had taken control and positioned rocket launchers within the camp. He also reported mass civilian casualties, although he could not provide specific numbers.

Buildings surrounding Abu Shouk have faced heavy damage, as noted in Yale’s analysis of low-resolution satellite imagery. The UN human rights office warned that the situation mirrors past atrocities against non-Arab minorities, particularly following the RSF’s takeover of Zamzam camp in April. Li Fung, the UN human rights representative for Sudan, stated, “Based on these patterns, we fear recurrence of ethnically motivated violence in Abu Shouk camp in El-Fasher.”

As the conflict enters its third year, it continues to claim tens of thousands of lives and has displaced around 12 million people. The war has effectively divided Sudan, with the army controlling the north, east, and central regions while the RSF dominates much of the south and nearly all of Darfur. The situation remains critical as humanitarian needs escalate amidst ongoing violence and instability.