Reports of Atrocities as RSF Paramilitary Forces Gain Control of Last Government Stronghold in Darfur

Latest Developments

• RSF Now Controls Entirety of Darfur: The Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has finally seized control of el-Fasher in the Northern Darfur region following a bloody 18-month siege. Sudanese military chief Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced on October 27 that the Sudanese army had withdrawn from the city “to spare the rest of the citizens and the rest of the city from destruction,” highlighting the “systematic destruction and killing of civilians.” The city’s capture marks a turning point in the more than two-and-a-half-year-long civil war in which both sides have been accused of war crimes and human rights violations, as the RSF now controls the entirety of Sudan’s Darfur region.
• Reports of Atrocities: RSF’s takeover of el-Fasher has raised humanitarian concerns of reprisal attacks, especially against ethnic and non-Muslim minorities living in the city, such as the Zaghawa, Fur, and Berti people. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University reported satellite imagery showing clusters “of what appear to be human bodies near RSF vehicles and a wall that surrounds the city.” Researchers also found “clear evidence of house-to-house clearance operations … with what appears to be piles of objects consistent with human remains.” Escapees from the city have described RSF forces beating and executing men fleeing the city.
• International Community Has ‘Done Nothing’: HRL director Nathaniel Raymond stated, “despite having warnings, the international community has fundamentally done nothing” besides “writing press releases and doing press conferences expressing their dismay over the situation in el-Fasher.” More than 150,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Sudan’s civil war, and more than 14 million have been displaced. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that he was “gravely concerned” with the situation in el-Fasher and condemned reported “violations of international humanitarian law.” On October 26, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher called for an “immediate ceasefire” in el-Fasher, Darfur, and throughout Sudan to allow humanitarian aid to enter.

FDD Expert Response

“A genocide and famine continued unabated today. The United Nations did nothing about it. The mainstream media won’t cover it. Zero street protests about it. No, not Gaza, I’m talking about Sudan.” — Richard Goldberg, Senior Advisor

“The slaughter in el-Fasher is a mark of shame, foremost upon the genocidaires carrying it out, but also on a Western world that behaves as though ethnically motivated killing in Sudan is the natural order of things, and that expressions of regret are all that can be offered in response.” — Ben Cohen, Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Director

FDD Background and Analysis

“Sudan’s Burhan Agrees to Peace Talks, His Hardline Stance Threatens Stalemate,” by Hussain Abdul-Hussain

“A Surge in Islamism Widens Rift Between Sudanese Army and Its Regional Allies,” by Hussain Abdul-Hussain

“Sudan’s Civil War Edges Toward a Stalemate as RSF Rebels Establish Separatist Governing Authority,” by Mariam Wahba

“‘Systematic Murder’: Biden Administration Calls Out Genocide in Sudan,” FDD Flash Brief