Dozens Killed, Injured in Shelling on Residential Area in Sudan’s El Fasher

Destruction following the shelling in El Fasher, Sudan. (Social media)
Destruction following the shelling in El Fasher, Sudan. (Social media)
TT
20

Dozens Killed, Injured in Shelling on Residential Area in Sudan’s El Fasher

Destruction following the shelling in El Fasher, Sudan. (Social media)
Destruction following the shelling in El Fasher, Sudan. (Social media)

Artillery shelling renewed on Tuesday in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, targeting hospitals, displacement camps, and residential areas, local sources reported.

The attack resulted in several civilian casualties and dozens of injuries.

Earlier in the morning, Sudanese army warplanes carried out an airstrike on positions held by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city’s eastern neighborhoods.

The “El Fasher Resistance Committees Coordination” stated on Facebook that the city also came under artillery fire from the RSF. Preliminary reports said at least two people were killed and dozens wounded.

The escalation comes after more than two weeks of reduced fighting between the army, its allied armed groups, and the RSF.

Residents of El Fasher told Asharq Al-Awsat that more people are fleeing the city due to indiscriminate shelling and a blockade that has caused prices to soar and shut down medical services.

The city faces severe shortages of drinking water and food, forcing thousands to seek safer areas.

Sources reported that large military reinforcements have arrived to support the joint forces defending El Fasher against RSF attempts to capture the city and take control of the western region.

In recent weeks, the RSF advanced into the city during heavy fighting and dug defensive trenches near the army's 6th Infantry Division headquarters.

The RSF claimed on X that more than 30 civilians were killed and dozens injured in an army airstrike on a town east of El Fasher.

Official figures show that more than 800 civilians have been killed or injured in El Fasher, which has been engulfed in the conflict between the army and RSF for four months.

The war in Sudan has led to the worst food crisis in the country’s history, with over half of the population suffering from severe hunger.

Millions are facing emergency levels of food insecurity, and over 755,000 people are in catastrophic conditions in Greater Darfur, South and North Kordofan, Blue Nile, Gezira, and Khartoum.

According to the United Nations and humanitarian partners, more than 188,000 people have been killed and over 33,000 injured since the conflict began in April 2023.

Over 10 million people have been displaced, including more than 5 million children, with over 2 million seeking refuge in neighboring countries.



Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
TT
20

Yemen's Houthis Say They Will Only Target Israeli-linked Vessels after Gaza Ceasefire

FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A boat carrying people sails near the Galaxy Leader commercial ship, seized by Yemen's Houthis last month, off the coast of al-Salif, Yemen, December 5, 2023. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah/File Photo

Yemen's Houthis will limit their attacks on commercial vessels to Israeli-linked ships after the Gaza ceasefire came into effect, according to the Yemen-based Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center.
The HOCC, which liaises between Houthi forces and commercial shipping operators, said in an email sent to shipping industry officials dated Jan. 19 that it was stopping "sanctions" against vessels owned by US or British individuals or entities, as well as ships sailing under their flags.
"We affirm that, in the event of any aggression against the Republic of Yemen by the United States of America, the United Kingdom ... the sanctions will be reinstated against the aggressor," the email said. "You will be promptly informed of such measures should they be implemented."
The HOCC said they would stop targeting Israeli-linked ships "upon the full implementation of all phases of the agreement".
Many of the world's biggest shipping companies have suspended shipping through the Red Sea and have diverted their vessels around southern Africa to avoid being attacked.
The Iran-backed Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 and sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least four seafarers. The Houthis have targeted the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which are joined by the narrow Bab al-Mandab strait, a chokepoint between the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
Hamas released three Israeli hostages in Gaza and Israel freed 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of a ceasefire suspending a 15-month-old war that has laid waste to the Gaza Strip and inflamed the Middle East.