Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) allegedly shelled a hospital in North Darfur's besieged city of El-Fasher and abducted six women and two children from a displacement camp, rescuers and a medic said on Sunday.
El-Fasher, under RSF siege for over a year, is the last major city in western Darfur still held by the army and a flashpoint in the war that erupted in April 2023.
The Emergency Response Room at the Abu Shouk camp near El-Fasher on Sunday said RSF fighters stormed the site, seizing eight unarmed civilians – six women, a 40-day-old baby and a three-year-old child – and taking them to an undisclosed location. The RSF is yet to respond to the reports.
More than 20 camp residents were missing, the rescuers said, warning the actual number could be higher.
Artillery fire hits hospital
Abu Shouk, home to tens of thousands of displaced people, has been attacked twice this month. The first assault left dead more than 40 people, according to first responders.
On Saturday, RSF artillery hit the emergency and trauma unit of a hospital in El-Fasher, wounding seven people, including a staff member, a doctor told AFP.
The bombardment, which continued into Sunday morning, "caused damage to the emergency department, forcing us to suspend operations", the doctor said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.
The hospital is one of only three still functioning in the city.
Famine
Since losing Khartoum in March, the RSF has stepped up attacks on El-Fasher and surrounding camps in a bid to tighten its hold on western Sudan.
Abu Shouk is among three camps outside El-Fasher where famine was declared late in 2024.
The United Nations has warned famine could spread to the city, though a lack of data has so far delayed a possible declaration.
The conflict, which has killed thousands of people, has triggered what the UN calls the world's biggest displacement and hunger crisis.
