el-Fasher, Sudan, 2025-09-20
A devastating drone attack on a mosque in the besieged city of el-Fasher, North Darfur, has killed at least 70 civilians and left many more injured. The attack, which occurred during morning prayers, has been blamed on Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The strike has drawn widespread condemnation from the international community and has been called a war crime by aid organizations and the United Nations. The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers continue to search for bodies buried under the rubble of the completely destroyed building. The incident highlights the brutal reality of the ongoing conflict and the increasing violence against civilians in Sudan’s forgotten war.
The Attack and its Immediate Aftermath
The drone struck the Al-Safiya Mosque in the Daraga al-Oula neighborhood of el-Fasher just after dawn, as dozens of worshippers, including many displaced people, were gathered for Friday prayers. The force of the explosion completely leveled the building, turning it into a pile of rubble and debris. Emergency response teams and local volunteers worked frantically to pull victims from the wreckage. A video posted by the Resistance Committees in el-Fasher, a local activist group, reportedly showed the destruction and scattered bodies at the site.
* Eyewitness Accounts: Witnesses described a scene of pure chaos and horror. “We were praying when we heard a loud explosion,” one survivor told a local aid worker on the condition of anonymity. “The roof caved in on us. It was a miracle I survived.”
* Accusations against the RSF: The Sudanese army and several local aid groups, including the Sudan Doctors Network, immediately accused the RSF of carrying out the strike. The RSF has not yet commented on the allegations. This attack is the latest in a series of drone strikes and artillery bombardments on el-Fasher, which is the last major army stronghold in the Darfur region.
* A Worsening Siege: El-Fasher has been under siege by the RSF for months, with constant fighting and a severe shortage of food, water, and medical supplies. The UN has warned that the city is on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. The recent intensification of fighting has led to a surge in civilian casualties, with many victims dying from indiscriminate shelling.
The Broader Context: A UN Report on Escalating Violence
The mosque attack came on the same day that the United Nations Human Rights Office released a report detailing a significant rise in civilian deaths and ethnic violence in Sudan. The report, covering the first half of 2025, found that 3,384 civilians were killed during that period, an alarming figure that represents nearly 80% of all civilian deaths recorded in 2024.
* Targeting Civilians: The UN report said that a number of “consistent trends” have emerged in the conflict, including “a continued pervasiveness of sexual violence, indiscriminate attacks, and the widespread use of retaliatory violence against civilians, particularly on an ethnic basis, targeting individuals accused of ‘collaboration’ with opposing parties.”
* War Crimes Accusations: The UN Human Rights Office and other humanitarian groups have been unequivocal in their condemnation of the attack, stating that intentionally targeting places of worship is a war crime under international law. They have called for a full investigation and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
* Global Concern: The attack on the mosque has reignited global calls for a ceasefire and for international action to protect civilians in Darfur. The international community has largely been divided on how to address the crisis, with some nations imposing sanctions and others urging for a diplomatic solution. The humanitarian situation in el-Fasher, with hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped and living in constant fear, has become a test of the world’s resolve to prevent a large-scale catastrophe.
The attack on the Al-Safiya Mosque is a grim reminder of the immense human cost of the war in Sudan. As the fighting continues to rage, the plight of civilians in el-Fasher and across Darfur grows more desperate, and the world is left to grapple with the question of how to respond to such a horrific act of violence.
