KHARTOUM - At least 25 people were killed on Saturday in the artillery shelling by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on neighborhoods in El Fasher, the capital city of North Darfur state in eastern Sudan, according to the state's Health Ministry.

"Today (Saturday), the RSF militia launched violent artillery shelling on a number of neighborhoods in El Fasher, killing more than 25 people and injuring over 50 others," Ibrahim Khatir, director-general of North Darfur State's Health Ministry, told Xinhua.

Khatir further accused the RSF of using internationally prohibited weapons in shelling the civilians in El Fasher.

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"There are wounded people with abnormal burns. The reason could be the use of chemical weapons," said Khatir.

The RSF has not commented on the attacks yet.

Since May 10, fierce clashes have been raging in El Fasher between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF.

Sudan has been engulfed in a deadly conflict between the SAF and the RSF since April 2023, resulting in the loss of at least 16,650 lives, according to an update by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in June.

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Data published by the UN International Organization for Migration in June showed that more than 7.7 million individuals had been internally displaced within Sudan since the conflict began, with approximately 2.2 million others seeking refuge in neighboring countries.