In the early hours of Friday, a devastating missile strike by paramilitary forces on a mosque in the besieged Sudanese city of El Fasher during morning prayers claimed the lives of dozens, according to local medics and aid workers.
This attack marks one of the deadliest incidents in months within El Fasher, a city in western Darfur that has endured an almost 18-month long and increasingly brutal siege by paramilitaries. These forces have relentlessly bombed civilian neighborhoods, trapping tens of thousands of people already suffering from severe hunger.
Following the horrific incident, at least 84 bodies, including women and children, were recovered from the mosque’s ruins, confirmed Suleman, a senior doctor at Al Saudi hospital who witnessed the aftermath. Minni Minnawi, the regional governor of Darfur, whose troops are engaged in the conflict, reported a death toll of “over 60.”
Dr. Suleman, who requested anonymity to shield his family from potential retaliation, described the scene as “harrowing beyond description.”
An accompanying map illustrates the strategic location of El Fasher within Sudan’s Darfur region.
The Al Jamia mosque was full of worshippers for early morning prayers when the missile struck, the doctor recounted. He corroborated social media videos depicting the devastating aftermath, which showed bloodied bodies buried under collapsed rubble and twisted steel.
“I saw all of this and more,” he stated, emphasizing the depth of the tragedy.
Tragically, among those killed was Dr. Omar Selik, a physician who had recently shared insights with The New York Times about the desperate situation facing an estimated 260,000 civilians in El Fasher, struggling to survive constant bombardment and extreme food shortages. His death was confirmed Friday by a relative and Dr. Suleman.
The siege is spearheaded by the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), a paramilitary organization locked in a civil war with Sudan’s military since April 2023. Following their expulsion from the capital, Khartoum, in March, the R.S.F. retreated to Darfur, their traditional stronghold and the origin of many of their combatants.
Capturing El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, is the R.S.F.’s final objective for achieving full control over the entire region.
Image: A somber photograph from last month shows residents in El Fasher, Sudan, waiting for free meals amidst earthen-wall and thatched dwellings. The city has been under siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces since April 2024.
Just after The New York Times published its story on Monday, Dr. Selik messaged, indicating that R.S.F. bombing had intensified near his home, less than a mile from Sudanese military positions. “Now we are under attack again,” he wrote, lamenting, “Too much killing of people.”
Starting in May, R.S.F. combatants constructed a 20-mile-long earthen wall, partially encircling El Fasher. They have since blocked essential food and medicine from entering the city, reportedly beating or killing civilians who attempted to escape.
Reports from social media videos and even Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirm that Colombian mercenaries are fighting alongside the R.S.F. in El Fasher. President Petro described them last month as “specters of death.”
Earlier this month, UN human rights investigators declared that the atrocities committed by the R.S.F. in El Fasher constitute crimes against humanity. On Friday, Denise Brown, the leading UN official in Sudan, condemned the mosque attack as a potential war crime and demanded accountability for those responsible.
The R.S.F. recently declared the formation of its own government in Nyala, 110 miles south of El Fasher, under the leadership of Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan. The paramilitary group did not provide a comment for this report.
Satellite imagery and other intelligence suggest the R.S.F. now controls the majority of El Fasher, as reported Thursday by the Yale School of Public Health. Researchers noted intense fighting around a former UN peacekeeping base, which ethnic militias allied with the Sudanese military had repurposed as their own.
The R.S.F.’s offensive is supported by sophisticated Chinese-made armed drones, some of which were visible in satellite images taken over El Fasher on Thursday.
Witnesses told Dr. Suleman of Al Saudi hospital that an R.S.F. drone was responsible for Friday morning’s mosque attack. He reported that a drone was still visible in the sky at the time of his statement.
The United Arab Emirates, a primary foreign supporter of the R.S.F., has provided its forces with artillery, medical aid, and Chinese-made drones, some deployed in the El Fasher siege, The Times previously reported. Sudan’s government has also accused the UAE of recruiting the Colombian mercenaries fighting alongside the R.S.F.
In an emailed response, the UAE denied supporting either faction in the conflict, stating its commitment to international peace efforts and ensuring accountability for all violations.
Last week, the Emirates joined the United States, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia in a joint statement, proposing a three-month ceasefire in the war and a subsequent transition to an “independent, civilian-led government.”
However, for the beleaguered residents of El Fasher, facing ongoing bombings and severe food scarcity, the promise of international diplomacy felt like a remote hope.
“Those thugs have repeatedly stated their intent to wipe us out,” Taha Khater, an aid worker, texted on Friday, referring to the R.S.F.
He concluded with a desperate plea: “Please, we are dying before the eyes of the whole world and no one is speaking up.”