The Sudanese army repelled a huge assault by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Al-Fashir on Monday after a bout of fierce fighting, Arabic media reported.

Sudanese military sources confirmed on Monday that the army managed to repel the attack, while the Sudanese Doctors Network reporting that 13 people were killed and 19 others wounded in RSF shelling in the area.

A military source also told Al-Jazeera Arabic that the RSF launched the attack from several points targeting the area, adding there was intense bombardment as well as use of missiles and drones before army forces intervened.

The Sudanese Doctors Network told local media that the bodies of victims are still trapped in the area, while survivors, too, have been unable to flee due to ongoing shelling and the difficulty emergency services face in accessing the location.

The RSF did not comment on the violence, despite being accused of using artillery and drones on civilians in the besieged city since May 2024.

However, RSF commander, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemeti, on Sunday accused the Sudanese army of planning the ongoing war for years and vowed to return to Khartoum.

Conditions in Al-Fashir have worsened dramatically over the last year, with international aid groups warning about the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Earlier this month, 100 civil society organisations and humanitarian actors called for the immediate protection of civilians in Al-Fashir.

In a joint statement, the organisations demanded that humanitarian access routes be established and monitored, as well as an evacuation coordinator.

They raised the alarm over conditions, saying that around 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children are trapped in the battleground between Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.

The siege on Al-Fashir has lasted over 500 days, with rights groups saying that the RSF has repeatedly used starvation as a weapon of war, by blocking food and lifesaving humanitarian assistance from entering.

The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also reported that there are no safe routes from Al-Fashir.

US-based non-profit organisation, Avaaz, quoted a volunteer who helps run a local soup kitchen as saying: "The RSF targeted innocent displaced people inside the Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq shelter. Entire residential blocks were set ablaze. Two young children lost their mother in the attack."

"No one has yet identified them or found their families. They remain alone in the shelter. The humanitarian situation is catastrophic—famine, shelling, killing. Even the centers meant for safety are not spared," the volunteer added.

At least 470,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher and surrounding areas since the start of the siege in May 2024. However, in the past four weeks, the violence has escalated significantly. The New Arab Staff & Agencies