Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are accused of killing thousands of people, including hundred of patients at a hospital, after seizing el-Fasher city in the western Darfur region over the weekend. Reports from the U.N., displaced residents, and aid workers detail harrowing atrocities following the fall of the city, which was the army’s last stronghold in Darfur. The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed shock, and a medical group described the killings at Saudi Maternity Hospital as “cold-blooded.”
What Happened in El-Fasher, According to Witnesses and Reports?
After over 500 days of siege, RSF fighters reportedly overran el-Fasher, the provincial capital of North Darfur, triggering a wave of violence.
- Hospital Massacre: The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, reported that 460 patients and companions were reportedly killed at Saudi Maternity Hospital. The Sudan Doctors Network stated that RSF fighters “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and anyone else present in the wards.” A video shared by Darfur Governor Mini Minawi, purportedly showing RSF fighters inside the hospital, depicted bodies in pools of blood and a fighter shooting a lone man.
- Widespread Killings: Witnesses, including Umm Amena, a mother of four, described RSF fighters going from house to house, beating and shooting people, including women and children. Many died of gunshot wounds in the streets, creating what one witness called “a killing field.”
- Targeted Violence: Reports include politically and ethnically motivated killings, with people with disabilities allegedly shot because they could not flee, and others killed while attempting to escape.
- Torture and Sexual Assault: Witnesses described RSF fighters torturing and beating detainees and sexually assaulting women and girls.
- Attacks on Health Facilities: The Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) reported targeted attacks by the RSF on health facilities, workers, patients, and humanitarian aid workers, deeming these actions war crimes.
How Many People Have Been Killed or Displaced in El-Fasher?
While a precise death toll is difficult to determine due to a near communication blackout, aid groups report hundreds killed and hundreds detained since the city was overrun.
- Estimated Toll: The U.N. migration agency estimates about 35,000 people have fled el-Fasher since Sunday, mostly to nearby rural areas. Before this latest violence, 1,850 civilians were killed in North Darfur (1,350 in el-Fasher) between January 1 and October 20 of this year.
- Mass Killings Confirmed by Satellite: The HRL, using satellite imagery, corroborated alleged executions and mass killings around Saudi Hospital, at a detention center in the former Children’s Hospital, and near the eastern wall built by the RSF. HRL warned that true casualty figures are likely undercounted.
- Humanitarian Crisis: Doctors Without Borders in Tawila, 60km west of el-Fasher, reported a high number of patients with bomb or gunshot injuries, as well as severely malnourished and dehydrated children, many orphaned or unaccompanied.
What Has Been the Reaction to These Atrocities?
The events in el-Fasher have triggered widespread outrage and condemnation:
- RSF Acknowledgment: RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedeti) acknowledged “abuses” by his forces in a Telegram post and stated an investigation had been opened, though without elaboration.
- International Condemnation: France, Germany, the U.K., and the European Union have all condemned the atrocities.
- Human Rights Watch: Mohamed Osman, Sudan researcher with Human Rights Watch, stated that the footage from el-Fasher “reveals a horrifying truth: the Rapid Support Forces feel free to carry out mass atrocities with little fear of consequences.” He urged the world to act to protect civilians.
- U.S. Calls for Terrorist Designation: Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, denounced the RSF attacks and called for the group to be designated as a foreign terrorist organization, citing “unspeakable atrocities, genocide among them.”
This surge of violence in Darfur exacerbates an already protracted crisis, with aid groups warning of a catastrophic humanitarian
