Drone strike on Sudan mosque kills 78 during Juma prayers
A drone strike on a mosque in Sudan’s Darfur region has killed at least 78 people and injured around 20 others, a senior medical source has told the BBC.
The attack occurred during Friday morning prayers in the besieged city of el-Fasher — the last major stronghold of the Sudanese army in Darfur.
The strike has been widely attributed to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), though the group has not officially claimed responsibility. The RSF and Sudan’s national army have been locked in a brutal civil war for over two years, with the paramilitary force now closing in on full control of el-Fasher — a city sheltering more than 300,000 civilians trapped by the conflict.
Bodies still being pulled from the rubble
One resident described the moment the drone hit: “It struck during prayers — dozens died instantly.” The medical source confirmed 78 fatalities, adding that rescue teams were still working to extract bodies from the collapsed structure.
BBC Verify has authenticated video footage showing approximately 30 bodies, wrapped in shrouds and blankets, lying beside the ruined mosque in western el-Fasher.
RSF advances threaten city’s last defences
This week, the RSF launched a renewed offensive on el-Fasher, which it has besieged for over a year. Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) indicates that RSF forces now control much of Abu Shouk, a sprawling camp for internally displaced people on the city’s outskirts.
More alarmingly, HRL confirms that RSF units have entered the headquarters of the Joint Forces, a coalition of armed groups allied with the Sudanese army, located within a former UN compound. This site is considered a critical defensive line for government forces.
BBC-verified footage shows RSF fighters operating inside the complex, though it remains unclear whether they have fully seized control. If they do, the group will bring el-Fasher’s airport and the army’s divisional headquarters within direct firing range.
“Without immediate military reinforcements, el-Fasher will fall,” warns HRL.
Ethnic cleansing fears mount as conflict deepens
Analysts and human rights activists fear that if the RSF captures the city, civilians, particularly those from ethnic groups perceived as hostile to the paramilitaries, will face targeted violence.
A recent United Nations report warned of the “increasing ethnicisation of the conflict,” noting that both sides have carried out retaliatory attacks against communities accused of supporting their enemies.
However, international organisations including Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have documented what they describe as a systematic campaign of ethnic cleansing by the RSF against non-Arab populations in territories under its control.
In a chilling account, MSF reported that RSF fighters openly spoke of plans to “clean El Fasher” of its non-Arab communities.
The RSF has repeatedly denied such allegations, dismissing them as “fabrications” and insisting it is not involved in “tribal conflicts.”
A nation on the brink of partition
The fall of el-Fasher would effectively cement RSF dominance over western Sudan, accelerating the country’s de facto partition: with the army controlling the north and east, and the RSF ruling the west.
As the death toll rises and humanitarian access shrinks, international observers warn that Sudan is hurtling toward one of the worst humanitarian and human rights crises of the decade — with civilians paying the heaviest price.