The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, on Sunday after a prolonged siege, according to multiple news reports. In the days following, international aid agencies and individuals fleeing the city have reported civilian deaths, abuses, and mass displacement, while thousands of people remain unaccounted for.
El-Fasher was the final stronghold held by the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Darfur region. The United Nations reported that over 62,000 people fled the city between Sunday and Wednesday.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said in a statement Friday that its teams in the nearby town of Tawila have received only a fraction of the expected displaced persons. “Based on what patients tell us, the most likely… answer is that they are being killed, blocked, and hunted down when trying to flee,” stated Michel-Olivier Lacharité, MSF’s head of emergencies. The aid group also reported that of 70 children under five who arrived in Tawila on Oct. 27, all were acutely malnourished.
Survivors who reached Tawila provided accounts of their experiences. Alkheir Ismail told news agencies he was part of a group of 300 people stopped by RSF fighters, stating that the others were killed after he was spared by a fighter who recognized him. Another woman, Fatima Abdulrahim, said she walked for five days to reach safety and that members of her group were beaten and had their possessions taken.
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) released accounts from survivors, including a 26-year-old woman who said her husband was killed after paying a ransom for her and their children. The UNFPA also confirmed reports that at least 460 people were killed at the el-Fasher maternity hospital on Oct. 29.
In a speech Wednesday, RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo directed his forces to protect civilians and stated that any violations would be prosecuted. The group later announced it had arrested several fighters accused of abuses. A senior RSF commander told the Reuters news agency that the accounts were “media exaggeration” by the army to “cover up for their defeat.”
The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army began in April 2023. The UN has described the situation in Sudan as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 14 million people displaced.
Reports of violence have also emerged from the neighboring state of North Kordofan. The UN estimates more than 36,000 people have fled the locality of Bara, which the RSF captured last week. Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, said Friday that his office has received “alarming reports of sexual violence” and reports of “the alleged summary execution of five Red Crescent volunteers” in Bara.
