Sudan25 February, 20263 min read
RSF Attacks Mustariha, Displacing Thousands Into Dire Conditions Without Shelter or Food
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
28 civilians killed and 39 wounded, including 10 women RSF rocket and drone strikes destroyed Mustariha's only health center and assaulted medical staff
7 outlets told this the same way.
Mustariha displacement and damage
Attackers from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) struck the North Darfur town of Mustariha, forcing large numbers of civilians to flee and leaving survivors exposed without basic necessities. The Sudan Doctors Network told multiple outlets that thousands were displaced and left in "dire conditions."
“Thousands of civilians displaced from the town of Mustariha in North Darfur are living in ‘dire conditions’ after attacks by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in southern Sudan, the Sudan Doctors Network said.”
Al-Jazeera Net reported that "more than 3,000 people from مستريحة in North Darfur are living exposed in the open without shelter, food or drinking water" after RSF attacks that included "drone strikes and ground raids" and left the town "reduced to rubble." Local reporting and aid groups described sudden, unprepared flight, with Anadolu Ajansı saying the assaults "forced families to flee suddenly and without warning, abandoning their belongings and sources of support."
Reports of civilian attacks
Multiple reports attribute deaths and injuries to the assault and describe attacks on civilian infrastructure. The Media Line and Daily Finland both report 'At least 28 civilians were killed and 39 injured' and say the assault 'hit civilian sites including the town’s only health center'. The Media Line adds the assault used 'rocket fire, armed raids and drone strikes'.
Al-Jazeera Net and Anadolu Ajansı similarly describe drone and ground attacks that 'burned homes and looted property' and forced residents to flee 'without warning'. These accounts underscore damage to health services and civilian safety.
Mustariha humanitarian crisis
Aid organisations and international agencies warn of a widening humanitarian catastrophe if immediate assistance does not reach the displaced. Al-Jazeera Net reports the Sudan Doctors Network "warns of an imminent health and humanitarian catastrophe without immediate international medical and relief aid." Al-Jazeera Net also notes the International Organization for Migration said the displaced are "scattered across sites in Kabkabiya locality amid complex security conditions."
“Since fighting between the RSF and Sudan’s regular army began in April 2023, the war has devastated Sudan—killing tens of thousands, displacing about 11 million people, and creating what agencies call the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis.”
The North Africa Post and Saudi Gazette situate Mustariha in a broader national emergency. The Saudi Gazette calls the conflict-driven displacement part of what agencies term "the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis." The North Africa Post says the April 2023 fighting "has produced one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, driving famine conditions, killing tens of thousands and displacing millions."
Mustariha assault reporting
Analysts and some outlets link the Mustariha assault to local and regional power competition. The Media Line reports "fierce fighting around Mustariha, a strategic locality linked to Musa Hilal of the Rizeigat who has sided with the Sudanese Armed Forces."
Daily Finland likewise notes Mustariha "is associated with Darfuri leader Musa Hilal, who has sided with the Sudanese army." Saudi Gazette and The North Africa Post place such local contests inside wider territorial struggles over Darfur, writing that a seizure "would bolster the RSF's control of Darfur" and that "regions such as Darfur are contested," respectively, tying the attack to broader conflict dynamics since April 2023.
Media coverage differences
Reports differ in casualty detail, whether the RSF is quoted or has responded, and in balancing immediate humanitarian description with long-term crisis framing. Several outlets note the RSF "has not responded to the allegations" (The Media Line), while Daily Finland says "the Rapid Support Forces have not commented". Some articles foreground explicit casualty counts and attacks on medical staff (Daily Finland).
“Thousands of civilians displaced from the town of Mustariha in North Darfur are living in ‘dire conditions’...”
Other outlets foreground agency warnings and scattered displacement (Al-Jazeera Net). Saudi Gazette and The North Africa Post emphasise national-scale displacement and a hunger crisis. Readers should note these different emphases and the absence of an RSF response in multiple accounts.
