Thousands feared ‘in grave danger’ in Sudan’s El-Fasher after fall to RSF
Mass Killings Reported as RSF Seizes Sudan’s El-Fasher: ‘An Apocalyptic Situation,’ Warns Germany
Thousands of civilians are feared trapped and in grave danger in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher following its fall to Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The humanitarian group described the situation as catastrophic, echoing Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who called it “apocalyptic.”
The RSF, locked in a brutal war with Sudan’s regular army since April 2023, captured El-Fasher after an 18-month siege that left the city starving and shattered by bombardment. Reports emerging since the fall suggest summary executions, sexual violence, looting, abductions, and attacks on aid workers, while communications remain cut off.
Survivors who escaped to Tawila, around 70 kilometers west, described mass killings and children being shot before their parents. MSF reports that of the 260,000 residents in El-Fasher before the assault, only 5,000 have reached safety, raising fears for the fate of the missing.
“Large numbers of people remain in grave danger and are being prevented by the RSF and its allies from reaching safer areas,” said MSF emergencies head Michel Olivier Lacharite. “The most frightening answer is that they are being killed, blocked, or hunted down while trying to flee.”
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Evidence of Ongoing Massacres
The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab has identified 31 clusters of bodies using satellite imagery, suggesting mass killings are continuing. “No large-scale movement of civilians has been detected,” the report stated, implying that thousands may be “dead, captured, or in hiding.”
International Reactions
Germany’s foreign minister said the situation represents “the greatest humanitarian crisis in the world,” while UK Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper condemned the atrocities as “truly horrifying.” She announced £5 million in emergency aid for Sudan, including £2 million for survivors of sexual violence.
The United Nations has confirmed widespread atrocities and warned of mass killings, with some reports estimating over 2,000 civilians dead. The RSF, descended from the Janjaweed militias responsible for genocide in Darfur two decades ago, has been accused once again of war crimes.
Regional Involvement and Geopolitical Stakes
According to UN reports, the RSF has received weapons and drones from the UAE, though Abu Dhabi denies the claims. The Sudanese army, meanwhile, has drawn backing from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkiye.
With El-Fasher’s fall, the RSF now controls all five capitals in Darfur, effectively dividing Sudan into an east-west split, leaving the army holding the north, east, and central regions.
The war has already killed tens of thousands, displaced 12 million, and triggered the world’s largest hunger and refugee crisis. UN officials now warn that Kordofan could be the next epicenter of mass atrocities.
