EL FASHER, SUDAN—The fall of the last major army stronghold in Darfur has given way to a terrifying wave of documented mass atrocities, as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary militia solidifies its control over the city of El Fasher. New, unverified but widely circulated videos, corroborated by chilling satellite imagery and international watchdogs, appear to show RSF fighters carrying out summary executions of unarmed civilians and detainees.
The crisis, which many fear marks a devastating new chapter in the 18-month-old war, has drawn immediate alarm from the United Nations, with the UN Human Rights Office citing “multiple, alarming reports” of ethnic-based violence and “summary execution of civilians trying to flee.”
The Digital Evidence of Massacre
The most damning evidence has emerged through horrific videos shared on social media, some allegedly posted by the RSF fighters themselves, providing a rare, unfiltered look at the brutality following the city’s capture on Sunday.
- Point-Blank Killings: One authenticated video reportedly shows an RSF fighter, allegedly known for prior civilian executions, shooting a group of unarmed men sitting on the ground at point-blank range.
- Mass Graves and Bodies: Other footage and testimonials purport to show dozens of bodies—civilians and non-Arab ethnic groups—lying dead in the streets or alongside burnt-out vehicles.
- Targeted Ethnic Cleansing: Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab, using open-source intelligence and satellite imagery, has reported evidence consistent with mass killings and a “systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti indigenous non-Arab communities” through “door-to-door clearance operations.”
The graphic scenes have fueled comparisons to the most brutal phases of the 2003 Darfur genocide, from which the RSF—formerly the Janjaweed militia—originated.
Hospital Attacks and Civilian Detentions
The violence has extended to critical civilian infrastructure:
- Hospital Carnage: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Sudan Doctors Network have been “appalled and deeply shocked” by reports that hundreds of patients and staff were reportedly killed at a local maternity hospital following the RSF takeover.
- Escape Route Terror: Civilians attempting to flee the siege—estimated to number over 260,000, half of them children—have been detained, robbed, and targeted. Reports indicate hundreds of people, including a journalist, have been taken captive by the paramilitaries.
The UN Human Rights Office noted the RSF videos explicitly show fighters accusing the unarmed men of being allied with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), underscoring the lethal risks of being caught between the two warring factions.
International Call for a Halt
El Fasher was the last of Darfur’s five state capitals to fall, cementing the RSF’s control over a vast region. Its loss is seen as a major turning point in the wider civil war, which has killed tens of thousands and created the world’s largest internal displacement crisis.
The international community, having issued dire warnings for months that an RSF victory in El Fasher could trigger mass atrocities, is now scrambling for a response. The United Nations and Western governments have condemned the violence and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unfettered humanitarian access.
The urgent focus now shifts to preventing the carnage from escalating further, as humanitarian aid groups struggle to cope with the influx of wounded and starving civilians fleeing a city that has become a synonym for unchecked brutality.