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RSF attack on Musa Hilal’s Darfur stronghold kills 28, doctors say

24 February 2026

February 24, 2026 (KHARTOUM) –

At least 28 civilians were killed and dozens more wounded during a large-scale assault by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the North Darfur stronghold of influential tribal leader Moosa Hilal, a Sudanese medical group said on Tuesday.

The Sudan Doctors Network reported that the fatalities in El-Mustaree'ha included women and children. The group said 39 people were injured, 10 of whom are women, following a coordinated offensive by the paramilitary group against the Ma'hameed clan leader.

RSF troops stormed El-Mistariha on Monday after a series of drone strikes targeted the guest house of Hilal, who serves as the chairman of the Revolutionary Awakening Council. The aerial bombardment also hit medical facilities and essential service infrastructure in the area.

The medical network stated that heavy rocket fire destroyed the region’s primary health center. It added that medical personnel were assaulted during the raid, and one health worker was detained by the RSF. The staff member’s current location and condition remain unknown.

The Sudan Doctors Network condemned the “widespread violation” of the area, accusing the RSF of deliberate targeting of healthcare facilities and terrorizing the local population. The group described the incident as a “full-fledged crime” and a breach of international humanitarian law.

The violence has triggered a massive displacement of residents who are now fleeing toward neighboring villages and rural settlements. Humanitarian advocates warn that these displaced populations are facing dire conditions without access to food or medical supplies.

The statement called on the international community to intervene immediately to protect civilians and ensure the delivery of emergency aid. It also demanded that RSF leadership be held directly accountable for the systematic targeting of non-combatants.

Tensions between the RSF and Moosa Hilal have escalated sharply over the past year. Hilal, a former Janjaweed commander who remains a pivotal figure in Darfur, publicly supported the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) several months ago.

Relations soured further in early 2026 after the RSF accused Hilal of involvement in the killing of Hamid Ali Abu Bakr, a high-ranking advisor to the paramilitary group. This incident intensified the rivalry between the two forces in North Darfur.

The RSF recently attempted to undermine Hilal’s authority by sponsoring a tribal gathering to appoint a new leadership for the Ma'hameed clan. This move backfired, sparking a significant rift within the RSF’s own ranks as many Ma'hameed fighters defected.

The defecting fighters have reportedly converged on El-Mustaree'ha to defend their traditional leader. This internal split has complicated the RSF’s control over the region and turned El-Mustaree'ha into a primary front in the ongoing power struggle between the paramilitary group and local tribal factions aligned with the army.

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Sudanese paramilitary forces kill at least 28 people in an attack in Darfur, medical group says

A doctors group says that Sudanese paramilitary forces have killed 28 people in an attack on a stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader

By SAMY MAGDY Samy magdy and Fatma Khaled

ABC, Associated Press February 24, 2026

CAIRO -- 

An attack by Sudanese paramilitary forces on a stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader left at least 28 people dead, a doctors group said Tuesday, the latest in a devastating war with no resolution in sight.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday rampaged through the town of Mustaree'ha (Misteriha) in North Darfur province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war.

The town is a stronghold of Arab tribal leader Moosa Hilal who also hails from the Ruzaygat Arab tribe as the majority of the members of the paramilitary RSF.

At least 39 people, including 10 women, were wounded in the attack, the medical group said.

There was no immediate comment from the RSF and motives for the attack were not immediately known.

Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into fighting that began in Khartoum, the country's capital, and spread nationwide. The conflict has killed thousands and triggered mass displacement, disease outbreaks and severe food insecurity. Aid workers have been frequently targeted.

The medical group said RSF shelling hit the town’s healthcare center on Monday, after which the paramilitary fighters assaulted medical staff and detained at least one of them.

The RSF fighters had begun their offensive on the town over the weekend with drone strikes that hit Hilal’s guesthouse. On Monday, they launched a major ground offensive and took over the town.

Emergency Lawyers, an independent group documenting atrocities in Sudan, said RSF fighters torched many houses in the town, forcing people to flee to nearby villages.

The seizure of Misteriha would likely assert RSF control of Darfur. However, it risks escalating tribal tensions in an area long known for violence and war.

Monday’s attack came four months after the RSF overran El-Fashir, the provincial capital of North Darfur after 18 months of siege. The paramilitaries killed more than 6,000 people between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27 in the city. The attack was marked by atrocities that U.N.-backed experts said bore “ the hallmarks of genocide.”

The war has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with over 14 million forced to flee their homes. It has fueled disease outbreaks and pushed parts of the country into famine that still spreads as fighting shows no sign of abating.

The latest report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification earlier this month warned that severe acute malnutrition, the most dangerous and deadly form of malnutrition, is expected to increase to 800,000 cases, up 4% from 2025.

Aid groups have long struggled to meet the growing needs of displaced people across the country and called for a ceasefire to secure aid delivery to remote areas in Darfur and Kordofan — another hotbed in the war.

“The main thing that needs to happen is, of course, a ceasefire,” said Zia Salik, interim U.K. director of Islamic Relief, an aid group working in Sudan. “Ultimately, that is what’s causing the pain and the difficulty for all of the civilians that are caught in the crosshairs.”