Sudanese army says repelled paramilitary forces' attack on El Fasher

KHARTOUM, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said on Sunday they had repelled an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, while local authorities reported that five displaced civilians were killed in a RSF attack on a displacement shelter.

"The armed forces, along with supporting forces, successfully repelled a desperate assault by the rebel militia on El Fasher in early Sunday," the SAF's 6th Infantry Division said in a statement.

According to the statement, SAF forces destroyed most of the attacking force, inflicting heavy losses that included the destruction of armored vehicles, dozens of deaths, and injuries to many others.

Meanwhile, the Governor of North Darfur State, Al-Hafiz Bakhit, announced on Sunday that 35 displaced civilians were either killed or injured after the RSF shelled a shelter center in El Fasher.

"The RSF militia shelled a displacement shelter located at the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources, resulting in the death of five people and injury to 30 others," the governor said in a statement.

The RSF has not immediately commented on the events in El Fasher.

Since May 10, 2024, fierce clashes have raged in El Fasher between the SAF and the RSF.

El Fasher serves as the administrative center of the Darfur region, which comprises five states. It is the region's largest city and the only state capital that remains outside RSF control.

Sudan has been engulfed in a brutal conflict between the SAF and the RSF since April 2023. The war has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee their homes, both within Sudan and across its borders. Enditem