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CAIRO: Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces launched attacks Monday in a famine-stricken displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, killing 40 people, local rights groups said.
The Emergency Response Rooms group working at the Abu Shouk displacement camp said in a statement on Facebook that the RSF — which is at war with the Sudanese military — raided parts of the camp targeting citizens inside their homes. The community activist group, which provides assistance across Sudan, said at least 19 people were also injured.
The Abu Shouk displacement camp outside of el-Fasher, which houses around 450,000 displaced people, has been repeatedly attacked over the course of the war. The Sudanese military has control over el-Fasher despite frequent strikes by the RSF.
Meanwhile, the Resistance Committees in el-Fasher confirmed the attacks, saying on Facebook that the scene “reflected the extent of the horrific violations committed against innocent, defenseless people.” The Resistance Committees are a group of local citizens from the community that includes human rights activists.
The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University posted satellite imagery showing 40 vehicles present at the Abu Shouk Camp on Monday. In an effort to corroborate reports of the RSF attack, the lab said the vehicles were in the northwest neighborhoods of the camp.
In its report, Yale HRL said it gathered and analyzed photos and footage allegedly “showing RSF shooting at people crawling away from them and berating and using ethnic slurs.”
Other satellite imagery gathered Saturday by the group apparently showed the RSF blocking routes that people use to escape el-Fasher by controlling points across the el-Fasher to Kutum road north of the city and an opening in the direction of Mellit, North Darfur.
The civil war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 in the capital Khartoum before spreading across the country following simmering tensions between the RSF and the army. The fighting has killed over 40,000 people, displaced as many as 12 million and pushed many to the brink of famine. The Abu Shouk camp is one of two camps with strong famine conditions, according to humanitarians.
The Sudanese army said it clashed with RSF fighters on Monday in el-Fasher beginning at around 6 a.m. and ending in the afternoon. It claimed it defeated the paramilitary group, according to its posts on social media.
“Our forces repelled a large-scale attack from several axes by the terrorist militia and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy in lives and equipment, as more than 16 combat vehicles were destroyed and burned and 34 vehicles, including armored cars, were captured,” the army claimed in a statement.
The RSF said on its Telegram channel late Monday that it made advances in el-Fasher and seized military equipment, without providing further details.
Darfur Gov. Mini Arko Minawi said on Facebook that el-Fasher “triumphed over those who betrayed their land” in an apparent reference to the RSF in Monday’s fight.
Meanwhile, in North Kordofan province the RSF has been accused of displacing over 3,000 families from 66 villages due to fighting since early August, according to the Sudan Doctors Network. The group also said the RSF looted the properties of those people and stole their money and livestock. Those displaced ended up arriving at Khartoum and White Nile provinces last week. The recent attacks on the villages in the province killed 18 civilians and injured dozens, according to the latest update by the United Nations.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned Monday of the “extreme dire situation” in Sudan, while Edem Wosornum, the operations and advocacy director at the UN’s humanitarian affairs agency, sounded the alarm over the situation in el-Fasher, saying over 60 people died from malnutrition in only one week, mostly women and children.

NEW YORK CITY: The US on Monday accused Iran of fueling maritime insecurity in the Red Sea by supplying weapons and other materials to the Houthis in Yemen, following the latest deadly attacks on commercial vessels last month.

Speaking during a UN Security Council debate on maritime security, Washington’s acting ambassador, Dorothy Shea, condemned the Houthis for the recent attacks that resulted in the sinking of two commercial ships, the deaths of crew members and the taking of hostages.

Iran “poses a threat to maritime security through its support for the Houthis and other terrorist groups and its seizure of vessels transiting international waters,” Shea told council members.

“Just last month, the Houthis attacked and sank two commercial vessels, resulting in loss of life, injury to sailors, and the capture of hostages.”

She reiterated the US demand that Tehran releases all detained vessels, including the MSC Aries, a container ship linked to an Israeli billionaire. It was seized by Iranian forces in April 2024 while transiting the Gulf of Oman, in what Tehran described as retaliatory action following Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

The vessel, chartered by the Mediterranean Shipping Company, had a crew of 25, mostly Indian nationals. They were held for several weeks by Iranian authorities before being released but the ship remains impounded.

“The United States calls for Iran to release the vessels it still holds, including the MSC Aries,” Shea said, as she urged all UN member states to comply with the arms embargo on the Houthis.

She accused Iran and other countries of violating this embargo by supplying the group with rockets, munitions and other components used in attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.

“This council must impose meaningful consequences for sanctions violations and seek additional ways to cut off the international funding and resources fueling the Houthi weapons programs,” Shea said.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2216, adopted in 2015, all member states are prohibited from supplying arms, ammunition and related materiel to Houthi forces. The embargo remains in place despite calls from some humanitarian groups for an easing of restrictions to meet civilian needs.

The UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism, established in 2016, is tasked with inspecting all commercial cargo entering Yemen through Red Sea ports to ensure compliance with the embargo.

Despite this measure, several reports by the UN’s Panel of Experts have documented the continuing flow of arms to the Houthis, including missile components and drones believed to originate in Iran.

This year, the US and the UK launched limited airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen following a string of maritime attacks. The group’s campaign has continued, however, demonstrating access to a growing arsenal of anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles.

Shea said the US has “overwhelmingly borne the costs” of defending freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and called for greater sharing of this burden, including financial support for the Verification and Inspection Mechanism.