KHARTOUM, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government on Saturday reported that a drone strike by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) killed 57 civilians at a temporary shelter in the western Sudanese city of El Fasher.

"As part of its ongoing plan aimed at the mass extermination of displaced persons and civilians in El Fasher, the terrorist militia committed another massacre today, at the Dar Al-Arqam shelter in El Fasher," Sudan's foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the fatalities included 17 children, 22 women, and 18 elderly people.

The ministry called on the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities and enforce its resolution demanding that the RSF lift the siege on El Fasher immediately and halt attacks on the city.

It also urged all international and regional actors to take concrete measures to stop the flow of weapons and mercenaries to the RSF, to hold its leadership accountable, and to support the Sudanese government's efforts to end the suffering of civilians in El Fasher and other cities under RSF siege or occupation.

Earlier on Saturday, the Coordination of Resistance Committees in El Fasher said in a statement that the death toll from the RSF strike has risen to more than 60 unarmed civilians.

An eyewitness told Xinhua the drone strikes directly hit the Dar Al-Arqam Shelter in southern El Fasher, leaving some people "burned to death inside the shelter."

So far, the RSF has not issued any statement regarding the drone attacks.

Violent clashes have been ongoing in El Fasher since May 2024, between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and allied forces on one side and the RSF on the other, with fighting intensifying in recent days.

The conflict between the SAF and RSF, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions, deepening the country's humanitarian crisis. ■