Overview

• On Aug. 16–17, artillery from the Rapid Support Forces hit the Abu Shouk displacement camp outside el-Fasher, killing at least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, and wounding 13 others.
• Volunteer medical groups say these figures likely undercount the dead because many victims never reached clinics and were buried by their families under insecure conditions.
• The assault intensifies a siege on el-Fasher that has lasted since May 2024, blocking trade routes and driving acute shortages of food, medicine and medical staff.
• Abu Shouk and the nearby Zamzam camp have been repeatedly targeted by the RSF, with an April offensive alone killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands.
• United Nations agencies and aid organizations have condemned possible war crimes and warned of looming famine, while the RSF has offered no comment and humanitarian access remains severely limited.