A drone strike on a mosque in El-Fashir, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state, killed at least dozens of worshippers during Friday morning prayers, with reported death tolls ranging from 43 to more than 75.
According to the Sudanese army, the attack hit Al-Safiya Mosque at dawn, killing more than 75 civilians, including displaced persons, and injuring many others. The army blamed the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for carrying out what it described as a “horrific crime” using drones.
The Sudan Doctors’ Network, an independent medical group, reported a lower figure of 43 deaths but similarly condemned the attack as a “grotesque crime” and a violation of international humanitarian law. “Targeting unarmed civilians constitutes a fully-fledged war crime,” it said in a statement.
The army said its Sixth Infantry Division in El-Fashir, supported by joint units, repelled an RSF assault on the nearby Supercam area after the strike, inflicting heavy casualties and equipment losses on the militia.
The RSF has not commented on the accusations. The group has maintained a blockade on El-Fashir since May 10, 2024, despite international warnings about the risks to the city, a key hub for humanitarian operations in Darfur.
Fighting between Sudan’s army and the RSF has continued since April 2023, killing more than 20,000 people and displacing some 15 million, according to UN and local authorities. A separate US academic study estimates the death toll could be as high as 130,000.
