Warnings of Ethnic Cleansing and Mass Killings in El-Fasher as RSF Seizes Darfur City

Fears of ethnic cleansing mount in El-Fasher after Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces capture the North Darfur capital, with reports of mass killings, famine, and mass graves (image source)

EL-FASHER — Reports of mass atrocities and ethnically targeted killings have surged after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) captured El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, late last month, raising fears of a repeat of past Darfur genocides and prompting urgent calls for independent investigation and humanitarian access.

Allies of the Sudanese army and local sources say the takeover on October 26 left parts of the city littered with bodies and evidence of summary executions, with one coalition alleging more than 2,000 civilians — many women, children, and the elderly — were killed in the days following the RSF advance, stoking warnings of systematic ethnic cleansing.

Humanitarian monitors have also sounded the alarm over a catastrophic food crisis in the besieged city. A UN-backed hunger classification body declared famine in El-Fasher amid mounting reports of mass casualties and the collapse of normal market and health services, intensifying concerns for tens of thousands cut off from aid and medical care. Independent researchers and satellite analysts say there are signs that mass graves are being dug in and around El-Fasher as forces collect and conceal the dead — a practice experts warn could amount to an effort to “clean up” evidence of large-scale killings and accelerate the erasure of targeted communities.

Human-rights organisations, regional observers, and UN actors have urged unfettered humanitarian access, protection for civilians, and prompt impartial investigations into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Calls for international scrutiny have intensified as displaced populations pour into nearby camps and makeshift sites, and as evidence from hospitals, satellite imagery, and eyewitness accounts is collected to corroborate the scale and nature of reported abuses.

The situation remains highly fluid and dangerous. Humanitarian agencies say rapid, secure corridors for food, water, medicine, and protection assistance are urgently needed to prevent further loss of life, while independent investigators and forensic teams will be critical to document crimes, preserve evidence, and support future accountability efforts. Observers warned that without swift international pressure and access, the risk of further ethnically motivated violence and deepening humanitarian catastrophe in North Darfur will grow.