Fears of mass atrocities are intensifying in Sudan following the capture of the strategic city of El-Fasher by paramilitary forces, marking a significant and alarming shift in the country’s ongoing conflict. Reports of mass killings and the execution of humanitarian workers have emerged just days after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city.
A City Under Siege
El-Fasher, the historic heart of Darfur, endured an 18-month siege characterized by relentless bombardment and widespread starvation before finally falling to the RSF—successors of the Janjaweed militias, who were accused of genocide two decades ago. The RSF’s takeover has raised grave concerns of renewed ethnic violence reminiscent of Darfur’s darkest chapters in the early 2000s.
In nearby North Kordofan, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) confirmed that five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers were killed in the town of Bara on Monday. Three others remain missing after RSF fighters reportedly seized control of the area over the weekend.
A Nation Divided
Analysts describe Sudan as increasingly fragmented along an east–west divide. The RSF now controls much of Darfur, operating a de facto government, while the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) maintain dominance along the Nile River and the Red Sea in the north, east, and central regions.
El-Fasher’s fall has evoked haunting memories of the early 2000s, when the Janjaweed militia razed villages and killed hundreds of thousands in what the international community later recognized as genocide. This time, however, the atrocities are being documented in real time.
The foreign ministry, aligned with the army, said the crimes were being “shamelessly documented by the perpetrators themselves.”
“Rwanda-Level” Violence
Since Sunday, RSF fighters have circulated disturbing videos allegedly depicting executions and abuses against civilians. The RSF claims that many of the videos are fabricated, announcing a committee to investigate their authenticity.
The United Nations has warned of “ethnically motivated violations and atrocities,” while the African Union condemned the “escalating violence” and “alleged war crimes.” Pro-democracy groups report “the worst violence and ethnic cleansing” since the conflict began, with the army-allied Joint Forces accusing the RSF of killing more than 2,000 civilians in recent days.
The UN estimates that over 26,000 residents fled El-Fasher within 48 hours—many on foot—heading west toward Tawila, approximately 70 kilometers away.
“We are witnessing a Rwanda-level extermination of people trapped inside the city,” said Nathaniel Raymond, Executive Director of Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) and a veteran war crimes investigator.
During Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, roughly 800,000 people, primarily ethnic Tutsis, were killed. “The speed, scale, and totality of the violence in Darfur is unlike anything I have seen in my 25 years documenting war crimes,” Raymond told AFP.
Mass Killings and Satellite Evidence
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), approximately 177,000 civilians remain trapped in El-Fasher, with food, medicine, and escape routes blocked by a 56-kilometer (35-mile) earthen barrier constructed by the RSF.
Once the capital of the ancient Darfur Sultanate, El-Fasher now lies in ruins—its streets littered with burned vehicles and corpses, smoke rising from shattered neighborhoods.
Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale’s HRL shows door-to-door killings, mass graves, and pools of blood consistent with witness accounts. One clip circulating Monday appeared to show bodies beside charred cars; another depicted an RSF gunman—identified from his TikTok videos—shooting into a crowd of civilians.
Pro-democracy activists also accused RSF forces of executing wounded patients in El-Fasher’s Saudi Hospital. “We believe those red patches in the imagery are blood pools from people bleeding out,” said Raymond, describing trenches filled with bodies.
A Growing Regional Threat
Experts warn that the violence will likely spread to other non-Arab communities. The Zaghawa, El-Fasher’s dominant ethnic group, view the RSF’s advance as an existential threat. In 2023, the RSF was accused of killing up to 15,000 members of the Masalit community in El-Geneina, West Darfur.
“The prospects for peace are extremely limited,” said Sudanese political analyst Kholood Khair. “Neither the army nor the RSF is willing—strategically or politically—to agree to a ceasefire or engage in genuine peace talks.”
The war, which began in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands, displaced mill,ions, and created what the UN describes as the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. Both warring sides stand accused of widespread human rights abuses and atrocities.
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