Sudan’s transitional government has issued a scathing condemnation of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF, accusing them of committing war crimes during their devastating assault on El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The accusations come amid a flood of survivor testimonies and humanitarian reports detailing mass killings, sexual violence, and deliberate attacks on civilians. As the RSF advanced through the city, eyewitnesses described scenes of unimaginable horror, children executed in front of their families, homes torched, and entire neighborhoods emptied under threat of death. The accounts paint a grim picture of a city that became a slaughterhouse, with civilians bearing the brunt of a calculated campaign of terror.
The Sudanese ambassador to Egypt, Imadeldin Mustafa Adawi, publicly denounced the RSF’s actions, labeling them as war crimes and crimes against humanity. He also accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting the RSF, a claim the UAE has denied. These statements reflect growing frustration and desperation within Sudan’s leadership, which has struggled to contain the RSF’s expansion and protect civilians across the country. El Fasher, once a haven for displaced people from across Darfur, was under siege for over 18 months before falling to the RSF. During that time, humanitarian corridors were blocked, aid workers were forced to flee, and tens of thousands of residents were left without food, water, or medical care.
The humanitarian toll of the RSF’s offensive has been staggering. The World Health Organization reported that at least 460 people were killed in a single hospital during the final days of the assault. Satellite imagery and on-the-ground reports suggest that mass killings continued even after the RSF took control of the city. Survivors who escaped described a city consumed by fear, where bodies lay in the streets and cries for help went unanswered. With communications severed and access restricted, the full extent of the atrocities remains difficult to verify, but the evidence that has emerged points to a deliberate and systematic campaign of violence.
International human rights organizations and Sudanese civil society groups are now calling for urgent investigations and accountability. They are urging the United Nations and the International Criminal Court to take action against those responsible for the atrocities in El Fasher and other parts of Darfur. The conflict, which began as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, has spiraled into a humanitarian disaster, leaving millions displaced and thousands dead. As the world watches, the people of Sudan continue to endure unimaginable suffering, and the demand for justice grows louder with each passing day.