Khartoum, Sep 28 (IANS): At least eight people were killed and 95 others injured in an attack by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State in western Sudan, a local official stated.

"The RSF shelling targeted the Souq Al-Mawashi (livestock) market, south of El Fasher, which was crowded with civilians," Ibrahim Khatir, director-general of North Darfur State's health ministry, told Xinhua news agency on Friday.

The RSF has not yet commented on the attack.

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

According to UN estimates, El Fasher is home to about 1.5 million people, 800,000 of whom are internally displaced persons.

Since April 15, 2023, Sudan has been embroiled in a violent conflict between the SAF and the RSF. The conflict has resulted in approximately 20,000 deaths, thousands of injuries, and the displacement of millions of people, according to the most recent estimates by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.