A PARAMILITARY force killed at least 31 people, including seven children and a pregnant woman, when they shelled a displacement camp today, a medical group has said.

The Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement that this was the second attack on the famine-stricken camp in less than a week by the Rapid Support Force (RSF), which is fighting the Sudanese army.

The artillery shelling of Abu Shouk camp outside el-Fasher — North Darfur province’s provincial capital — also wounded 13 others, according to the doctors’ statement.

The Resistance Committees in el-Fasher, a grassroots group tracking the war, said RSF launched an hours-long “extensive artillery shelling” on the camp early in the morning.

It said in a social media post that the attack also resulted in severe damage to private properties and camp infrastructure.

The RSF didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

The force had already attacked Abu Shouk a few days prior, killing more than 40 people, as part of its attempts to seize el-Fasher, which is the Sudanese army’s last regional stronghold.

Abu-Shouk is one of two camps for displaced people outside el-Fasher, the other being Zamzam.

Both have repeatedly been attacked by the RSF and their Janjwaeed allies, including a major offensive in April which killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands to flee. Both camps are also experiencing famine conditions.

Sudan’s civil war broke out in April 2023 over a power struggle between commanders of the military and the RSF.

Their fighting has wrecked the north-eastern African country, displacing around 14 million people — many being forced to flee the country — and pushed large parts of the nation into famine.

Thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and there have been atrocities, including mass killings and rape, particularly in Darfur.

The International Criminal Court is investigating potential crimes and crimes against humanity in the conflict by both sides.