KHARTOUM, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 30 civilians were killed on Saturday in drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in western Sudan's city of El Fasher, according to local sources.

Speaking to Xinhua on condition of anonymity, a medical source said the RSF "launched systematic drone strikes on the Dar Al-Arqam Shelter and Omdurman Islamic University" in the morning, killing "more than 30 civilians," including children, women, and elderly people, apart from dozens of injuries.

The bodies of the dead were brought to the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, the source added.

An eyewitness told Xinhua the drone strikes directly hit the Dar Al-Arqam Shelter in southern El Fasher, leaving some people "burned to death inside the shelter."

The Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher confirmed the strikes in a statement, adding, "There are more victims, both dead and injured, in residential neighborhoods due to the indiscriminate bombing, but access to those areas has not yet been possible."

So far, the RSF has not commented on the incident.

Violent clashes have been ongoing in El Fasher since May 2024 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied groups on one side and the RSF on the other, with fighting intensifying in recent days.

Sudan remains gripped by a broader conflict between the SAF and RSF, which erupted in April 2023. The fighting has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, worsening the country's humanitarian crisis. ■