A humanitarian catastrophe is feared in Sudan’s Darfur region after the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the city of el-Fasher from government troops, raising concerns of widespread killings and atrocities against civilians.
The takeover follows months of siege, leaving hundreds of thousands trapped without food, communication, or medical support.
Sudan’s army chief, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, confirmed on Monday that government forces had withdrawn from el-Fasher, saying the decision came after relentless attacks on civilians. “I approved the withdrawal of troops in response to the systematic destruction and killing of civilians,” he said in a national address.
International observers warn the city could now face one of the bloodiest episodes of the ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023 and has already claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced nearly 12 million people.
The United Nations said there were credible reports of “summary executions,” while experts from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab released satellite images showing what appeared to be “piles of bodies executed en masse.”
Nathaniel Raymond, the lab’s executive director, said the imagery was unlike anything he had witnessed before. “The horror, scale, and velocity of killing happening now [is] unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a quarter century of doing this work,” he said.
The RSF has denied targeting civilians or ethnic groups, despite consistent evidence from human rights organizations and the UN.
The fall of el-Fasher marks a critical moment in the war between the RSF and Sudan’s military, once allies who seized power together in 2021 before turning on each other. For 18 months, RSF fighters surrounded the city, cutting supply routes and forcing residents into starvation.
The UN’s humanitarian team said it was “horrified” by reports of atrocities, including sexual violence, attacks on fleeing civilians, and house-to-house killings.
The Joint Force, a coalition of Darfuri armed groups aligned with the army, claimed that more than 2,000 people had been killed since the city was taken, though this could not be independently confirmed.
Witnesses who managed to escape described horrific scenes. One resident told the BBC he had lost several relatives in what he called a “massacre.” “They were gathered in one place and all killed.
Now we have no idea what has happened to those who are still alive,” he said, adding that communication networks were cut after the RSF took control.
Global condemnation has intensified. The European Union on Tuesday called for all sides to “de-escalate,” while the African Union denounced “alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians.”
The World Health Organization said the last functioning hospital in el-Fasher was attacked on Sunday, killing a nurse.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “gravely concerned” by reports of violations of international humanitarian law.
Following the army’s withdrawal, Gen Burhan accused the world of remaining silent as atrocities unfolded and vowed to continue fighting. “We can turn the tables every time, and we can return every land desecrated by these traitors to the nation’s fold,” he said.
