KHARTOUM, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- At least 18 civilians were killed and five others injured in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on a village in North Darfur State in western Sudan, a government official said on Sunday.
"On Saturday, the RSF militia committed a massacre in Jebel Hilla village east of Um Kadada district in North Darfur," Ibrahim Khatir, director-general of the state's health department, told Xinhua, denouncing the "organized targeting of civilians by the RSF" as a violation of international law and norms.
He urged the United Nations and other international organizations to intervene to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The RSF has not commented on the incident.
Meanwhile, the Command of the Sixth Infantry Division of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) said in a statement that its warplanes launched three airstrikes on Saturday targeting RSF gatherings and movements in the northeastern and southern parts of El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur, killing more than 40 RSF fighters and injuring many others.
Since May 10, 2024, fierce clashes between the SAF and the RSF have been raging in El Fasher.
Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the two sides since mid-April 2023, which claimed at least 29,683 lives and displaced over 14 million people, either inside or outside Sudan, according to the latest estimates by international organizations. ■
