Crisis Deepens in Sudan’s El Fasher: Drone Strike Kills Civilians as Child Deaths Rise Amid Siege

Crisis Deepens in Sudan’s El Fasher: Drone Strike Kills Civilians as Child Deaths Rise Amid Siege
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A drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Thursday killed at least five civilians and wounded more than ten when a “suicide drone” exploded in a busy market in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. According to Anadolu Agency, the attack occurred during a civilian gathering in the central market.

Simultaneously, the humanitarian situation in El Fasher is deteriorating rapidly. A statement from the Sudan Doctors Network revealed that an average of three children die every day in the besieged city due to severe malnutrition and disease. The city is under siege by the RSF, which has cut off aid, food and medical access.

Aid agencies report that approximately 260,000 civilians, including around 130,000 children, are trapped in El Fasher without reliable access to humanitarian assistance, and health infrastructure has collapsed.

The combination of targeted violence and starvation conditions has fueled urgent appeals from UN officials and humanitarian agencies. The United Nations has described Sudan as facing the world’s “worst displacement crisis,” with increasing risk of famine in Darfur and mounting civilian casualties.

Observers warn that El Fasher has become a stark example of how armed conflict, siege warfare and neglect of civilian protection converge, threatening the lives of thousands of children and families trapped in Sudan’s war-torn Darfur region.