On May 18, 2025, at least 14 civilians were killed and many others injured in a brutal artillery attack carried out by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Nevasha Market within Abu Shouk Camp for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), located north of El Fasher in North Darfur State. This attack forms part of an ongoing pattern of indiscriminate violence and systematic targeting of civilian populations and infrastructure by the RSF, raising serious concerns of grave violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.
Abu Shouk Camp hosts thousands of displaced persons who have fled previous cycles of conflict and violence in Darfur. Over the past months, conditions in the camp have deteriorated sharply. The only operational health Centre has ceased functioning due to insecurity and lack of supplies. Communal kitchens have mostly shut down, leaving only one still operating to serve the entire camp population. Food and medicine are in critical shortage, and humanitarian access has been severely hindered due to ongoing hostilities and siege tactics employed by the RSF.
The RSF has continued to expand its military campaign around El Fasher, deliberately targeting IDP camps and civilian infrastructure. In 2025 alone, the RSF has displaced populations from multiple directions around El Fasher, including residents of villages to the south, west, north, and east, as well as from Zamzam Camp. Their actions have resulted in the destruction of medical facilities, water sources, and main markets, contributing to famine conditions and a collapse in essential services.
According to a statement released by the Emergency Room of Abu Shouk Camp, artillery shells fired by the RSF struck the Nevasha Market and several nearby civilian areas, including mosques and residential homes. The statement confirmed that 14 civilians were killed and many more wounded. The attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning, as residents were gathered in and around the market.
Witnesses and local activists report that the shelling was not an isolated event, but part of a sustained pattern of attacks. Civilians have been forced to dig underground shelters in a desperate attempt to protect themselves from the near-daily shelling and drone strikes. Despite these efforts, casualties continue to mount, with large numbers of deaths being recorded on a daily basis.
The deliberate targeting of civilian areas, including IDP camps and markets, represents a serious violation of the right to life and the principle of civilian protection. The repeated attacks on homes, public facilities, and places of gathering show a pattern of conduct that endangers the lives of non-combatants and undermines their basic dignity.