Mass killings and atrocities have been reported in El Fasher, a city in Sudan's western Darfur region that has been seized by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The RSF has been accused of executing more than 2,000 unarmed civilians in recent days, according to a statement issued by the Joint Forces, an alliance of rebel groups and government forces.
Video footage shared by pro-democracy activists purports to show dozens of people lying dead on the ground alongside burnt-out vehicles. However, the authenticity of this footage has not been verified.
Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab has found evidence consistent with mass killings by the RSF. The lab's researchers say that the city appears to be in a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti Indigenous non-Arab communities through forced displacement and summary execution. This includes door-to-door clearance operations in the city.
The level of violence in El Fasher is comparable to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide, according to Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale Lab. "We are only at the beginning of a wave of violence," he said. "I have never seen a level of violence against an area like we are seeing now."
The RSF has been engaged in a bloody civil war with the Sudanese army since April 2023, resulting in over 150,000 deaths and more than 14 million displaced people.
Tens of thousands of civilians were trapped in El Fasher by an 18-month RSF siege. The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, has warned of growing risks of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" in the city. His office has received reports of summary executions and ethnic motivations for killings.
The situation in El Fasher is dire, with many civilians resorting to eating animal fodder due to a lack of aid. The town's hospital is overwhelmed with wounded people from the fighting, including 15 in critical condition.
The RSF's capture of El Fasher marks a significant turning point in the war and raises concerns about the possibility of partition in Sudan. Experts say that the army's exclusion from a third of the country's territory could lead to further instability.
Video footage shared by pro-democracy activists purports to show dozens of people lying dead on the ground alongside burnt-out vehicles. However, the authenticity of this footage has not been verified.
Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab has found evidence consistent with mass killings by the RSF. The lab's researchers say that the city appears to be in a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti Indigenous non-Arab communities through forced displacement and summary execution. This includes door-to-door clearance operations in the city.
The level of violence in El Fasher is comparable to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide, according to Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale Lab. "We are only at the beginning of a wave of violence," he said. "I have never seen a level of violence against an area like we are seeing now."
The RSF has been engaged in a bloody civil war with the Sudanese army since April 2023, resulting in over 150,000 deaths and more than 14 million displaced people.
Tens of thousands of civilians were trapped in El Fasher by an 18-month RSF siege. The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, has warned of growing risks of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" in the city. His office has received reports of summary executions and ethnic motivations for killings.
The situation in El Fasher is dire, with many civilians resorting to eating animal fodder due to a lack of aid. The town's hospital is overwhelmed with wounded people from the fighting, including 15 in critical condition.
The RSF's capture of El Fasher marks a significant turning point in the war and raises concerns about the possibility of partition in Sudan. Experts say that the army's exclusion from a third of the country's territory could lead to further instability.
like 2,000+ unarmed civilians killed & tens of thousands trapped for 18 months... that's just insane 
. The RSF siege on El Fasher is kinda like a ticking time bomb, with the UN rights chief warning of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" 
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. The Humanitarian Research Lab's findings are like, totally consistent with the video footage that's been shared... it's all super scary 
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. The situation in El Fasher is dire, with many civilians resorting to eating animal fodder due to a lack of aid... that's just heartbreaking 
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. It's not looking good, but we can't give up hope 
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. And what's with the Yale Lab's findings? They're saying it's ethnic cleansing, but how do we know for sure? It's a complex situation and we shouldn't be quick to blame anyone.
. And the fact that there are reports of ethnic motivations for killings... it's just chilling 
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, but the numbers are just so mind-blowing - 2k+ unarmed civilians killed? That's like, a small city worth of people. And for what? Ethnic cleansing? It's like, how can we even justify this stuff? The footage looks so real, you can almost smell the smoke and hear the screams... it's heartbreaking. I mean, I've seen some dark stuff online before, but this is on another level. Can't believe the RSF would do something like this to innocent civilians. It's just... ugh 
The RSF's door-to-door clearance operations sound super respectful and non-violent 
. And 2,000 unarmed civilians already dead? That's just peachy 
. I'm not surprised the authenticity of those video footage is in question, though... who needs facts when you have drama and bloodshed? 
the thought of all those people being killed & displaced is just heartbreaking 
it seems like the RSF has been doing some really evil stuff 
and i'm not sure how much more of this country can take 
i wish there was a way to stop this senseless violence ASAP 
they've been trapped there for 18 months already 
I can only imagine how hard that must be for everyone who's still living there 
the UN is trying to do something, but it feels like a drop in the bucket 
and these innocent people 
they deserve so much better than this 
can we please just stop this senseless violence? 
. The fact that the RSF is doing this ethnic cleansing... it's like, totally unacceptable 
. We need to get some aid in there ASAP 
. Partitioning Sudan just seems like a recipe for disaster... let's hope the army and rebel groups can find a way to put their differences aside and work towards peace 
. And now the UN is warning about ethnically motivated violations? It's like they're saying 'oh, this will happen'... what are we even doing to stop it? 
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. We need to find a way to stop this bloody civil war and get some help to these innocent people ASAP 
. The fact that the hospital in El Fasher is overwhelmed with wounded ppl is just devastating 
. The UN rights chief is spot on, and it's high time experts start sounding the alarm. Can we get aid to those trapped in El Fasher ASAP? 
this is getting crazy, 2k+ unarmed civs executed by RSF? 
it's like something out of a horror movie, and it's not just the numbers that are scary, it's the systematic nature of it all... ethnic cleansing, forced displacement, door-to-door clearances... 
i'm following the Yale Lab's research on this, and it sounds like they've found some pretty damning evidence... comparable to the Rwandan genocide? 
that's just chilling. And with tens of thousands trapped in El Fasher by an 18-month siege... 
we need to keep an eye on this situation and hold those responsible accountable but at the same time, let's not jump to conclusions just yet 
. And on top of that, there's this massive war going on between the RSF and the Sudanese army, with 150,000 deaths already 
. I'm all about advocating for tech and innovation, but what's the point when we're not using our platforms to raise awareness about human rights crises like this?