Doctors Group Says RSF Assault on Misteriha Kills 28 In Sudan

Sudan’s war continues to produce localized offensives with strategic consequences. An attack by the paramilitary RSF on the North Darfur town of Misteriha left at least 28 people dead and 39 wounded, according to the Sudan Doctors Network.

Tribal Stronghold Targeted

Sudan Doctors Network said RSF fighters “rampaged through” Misteriha on Monday. The town is described as a stronghold of Musa Hilal, an Arab tribal leader from the Rizeigat tribe. Casualty figures released by the medical group cited 28 fatalities and 39 injuries, including 10 women.

Healthcare Facilities Under Fire

The doctors group stated that RSF shelling struck Misteriha’s healthcare center on Monday. Following the strike, fighters allegedly assaulted medical staff and detained at least one member of the facility. Such incidents compound operational challenges for already strained health services in Darfur, where access to care has been repeatedly disrupted since the war began in 2023.

Aid organizations have consistently warned that attacks affecting clinics and hospitals accelerate mortality beyond immediate combat deaths. In Darfur’s dispersed settlements, healthcare centers often function as the only medical access point within tens of kilometers.

Drones Then Ground Offensive

According to the Sudan Doctors Network, the RSF offensive began over the weekend with drone strikes targeting Hilal’s guesthouse, while on Monday, fighters launched a major ground assault and took control of the town.

Emergency Lawyers, an independent monitoring group, said RSF fighters torched numerous houses, forcing residents to flee to nearby villages. Property destruction and displacement remain central features of Darfur’s battlefield dynamics.

Darfur’s Shifting Control Map

The attack occurred four months after the RSF overran el-Fasher, North Darfur’s provincial capital, following an 18-month siege. Court filings and monitoring groups previously documented that more than 6,000 people were killed between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 during violence in the city. UN-backed experts said those events bore “the hallmarks of genocide.”

The attack on tribal stronghold risks intensifying tribal tensions in a region historically marked by cycles of inter-communal violence.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

Sudan’s war, which erupted in 2023 after tensions between the Sudanese army and the RSF escalated into open fighting, has generated the world’s largest displacement crisis. More than 14 million people have been forced from their homes. Disease outbreaks and severe food insecurity have followed.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification warned earlier this month that severe acute malnutrition could rise to 800,000 cases, a 4 percent increase from 2025 levels.

Aid agencies continue to call for a ceasefire to stabilize access routes into Darfur and Kordofan.

Zia Salik of Islamic Relief summarized the central constraint: “The main thing that needs to happen is, of course, a ceasefire.” He added, “Ultimately, that is what’s causing the pain and the difficulty for all of the civilians that are caught in the crosshairs.”