Daijiworld Media Network - Cairo
Cairo, Feb 25: At least 28 people were killed after Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacked a key stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader, a medical group said Tuesday, in the latest escalation of the country’s grinding civil war.
According to the Sudan Doctors Network, RSF fighters rampaged through the town of Misteriha in North Darfur province on Monday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 39 others, including 10 women.
Misteriha is considered a stronghold of Arab tribal leader Musa Hilal, who belongs to the Rizeigat Arab tribe — the same tribe from which many RSF members hail. There was no immediate comment from the RSF, and the motives behind the attack were not immediately clear.
The doctors’ group said RSF shelling struck the town’s health care centre before fighters allegedly assaulted medical staff and detained at least one of them. The paramilitary group had reportedly begun its offensive over the weekend with drone strikes targeting Hilal’s guesthouse, before launching a ground assault and seizing control of the town on Monday.
The independent group Emergency Lawyers reported that RSF fighters torched several homes, forcing residents to flee to nearby villages. Analysts warn that the capture of Misteriha could further consolidate RSF control in Darfur, while heightening tribal tensions in a region long scarred by violence.
Sudan’s conflict erupted in 2023 after tensions between the army and the rival RSF escalated into full-scale fighting that began in Khartoum and quickly spread nationwide. The war has since killed thousands, displaced over 14 million people, and triggered widespread hunger and disease outbreaks.
On Tuesday, the United Nations Security Council called for an immediate halt to the fighting, condemning the RSF’s continued assaults and reported atrocities in North Darfur’s capital, el-Fasher. Council members cited allegations of systematic killings, mass displacement, arbitrary detentions, and ethnically motivated attacks, urging accountability for all perpetrators.
The Council also strongly condemned repeated drone attacks on civilians, infrastructure, and aid workers, warning that targeting humanitarian personnel could constitute war crimes. It reiterated that both the government and the RSF must resume talks toward a lasting ceasefire and an inclusive Sudanese-led political process.
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of Finland’s former foreign minister Pekka Haavisto as his new personal envoy to Sudan, replacing Algeria’s Ramtane Lamamra. Haavisto previously served as the European Union’s special representative for Sudan and is expected to focus on renewed peace efforts.
The conflict has spiralled into what aid agencies describe as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. A recent report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned that severe acute malnutrition cases could rise to 800,000 this year. Aid organisations continue to press for an immediate ceasefire to allow safe access to remote areas in Darfur and Kordofan.
“The main thing that needs to happen is, of course, a ceasefire,” said Zia Salik, interim U.K. director of Islamic Relief. “Ultimately, that is what’s causing the pain and the difficulty for all of the civilians that are caught in the crosshairs.”