The disclosed capture of the Darfur city of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has produced alarming reports of war crimes, mass executions of civilians and disappearances, after more than an 18-month siege. 

Eyewitnesses and humanitarian monitors say that men were separated from women, then executed, some using ethnic slurs, following the sudden takeover of the city by RSF fighters. 

The Fall and Immediate Aftermath

On 26 October 2025, the RSF reportedly entered El Fasher, a major urban centre in North Darfur state, previously held by the regular Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). 

Since that entry:

• Hundreds of civilian bodies have been discovered, in places such as hospitals, emergency wards and what were once secure shelters. 

• Thousands of residents have fled on foot under fire, reporting looting, ransom demands and indiscriminate killing. 

• Communications to the city were cut, making independent verification extremely difficult and increasing fears of mass atrocities without recognition or response. 

Human Rights and Ethnic Dimensions

The RSF has been accused of targeting non-Arab ethnic groups such as the Zaghawa, long suspected victims of ethnic cleansing in Darfur. Satellite imagery indicates clusters of bodies and ground discolouration consistent with large-scale executions. 

According to the UN and other observers, the pattern resembles prior RSF operations such as the 2023 massacre in Geneina - namely, door-to-door operations, separation by gender and ethnicity, and large-scale detentions. 

Regional and Humanitarian Fallout

The events in El Fasher amplify the broader humanitarian crisis in Sudan:

• The conflict between SAF and RSF has already displaced millions and left innumerable civilians trapped. 

• A sudden spike in atrocities may trigger new waves of displacement, cross-border refugee flows and deeper regional instability across the Sahel and eastern Africa.

• Global child protection, food security and health agencies warn of risks of famine, disease and long-term trauma in the area if accountability and relief access are not promptly improved.

Key Things to Watch

• Whether the RSF allows independent access and investigation by the UN or other international monitors - or continues to restrict movement and media.

• Response from the international community: whether economic or diplomatic pressure will be applied, whether war-crime investigations will be opened, and whether Sudan will face targeted sanctions.

• The SAF’s next moves: whether they will attempt to retake El Fasher, or whether the RSF consolidates control, potentially leading to de facto partition of Sudan.

• Humanitarian corridors: whether aid agencies can reach newly displaced populations and whether access remains safe.

The capture of El Fasher by the RSF has reignited one of Africa’s longest-running conflict zones, with developments suggestive of mass atrocities that could reshape Sudan’s internal and regional trajectory. Without urgent international attention and meaningful intervention, the civilian population faces an even darker chapter.