Karnoi, June 15 (Darfur24)
At least 11 people were killed and 21 others injured after Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters launched attacks on villages in the Khazan Urshi area of Umbro locality in North Darfur on Sunday, according to multiple local sources.
The attacks, which targeted villages northwest of El Fasher, also triggered a new wave of displacement, with residents fleeing toward Al-Tina near the Chad border and surrounding forests and valleys.
Haroun Khater, a community leader in North Darfur, told Darfur24 that RSF forces arrived in more than 50 military vehicles and attacked Khazan Urshi and neighboring villages, setting homes on fire and opening fire on residents.
He said the casualties included women, children, and elderly people, adding that the attacking forces reportedly took away several young men.
Abdul Aziz Mohammed Arja, a resident of Umbro locality, said hundreds of civilians had fled the area following the attacks. He noted that population movements had begun a day earlier as residents of Karnoi, Anka, Korbia, and parts of southern Umbro reacted to reports of RSF movements in the region.
Arja denied the presence of military forces in the areas targeted during Sunday’s attacks.
A video circulated by RSF-affiliated fighters and verified by Darfur24 showed armed personnel inside Khazan Urshi, with burning homes visible in the background.
The latest violence comes two days after a drone strike believed to have been carried out by the RSF targeted Karnoi market, killing seven people and injuring ten others, according to local sources.
A volunteer in Karnoi, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Darfur24 that the airstrike prompted hundreds of residents to flee the town. Some headed toward Chad, while others sought refuge in Al-Tina and nearby border areas.
The volunteer said humanitarian conditions remain dire due to the lack of transportation and limited resources available to assist displaced families.
Karnoi, Umbro, and the border town of Al-Tina are among the last areas in Darfur where the Sudanese army and allied Joint Force maintain a presence, following the expansion of RSF control across much of the region.