The Sudanese city of el-Fasher has fallen to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) after an 18-month siege, unleashing a wave of violence that evokes the genocide of Darfur's past.
Witnesses describe systematic executions of hundreds of men, forced separations of civilians, and widespread looting as the paramilitary group consolidates control over the Darfur region.
This development marks a pivotal shift in Sudan's ongoing civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the RSF and the Sudanese military.
Human rights activists and aid organizations warn that the atrocities signal a continuation of ethnic cleansing targeting non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa tribe.
Gruesome videos shared by RSF fighters themselves depict summary executions of unarmed male civilians and ex-combatants, with celebratory taunts over dead bodies.
Satellite imagery from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab reveals clusters of bodies and potential blood stains at massacre sites around el-Fasher.
The lab's report concludes that the city is undergoing a "systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing" through forced displacement and executions.
One survivor, Alkheir Ismail, recounted being rounded up with hundreds of men near a reservoir, where captors shouted racial slurs before opening fire; he escaped only due to recognition by a former schoolmate.
Another witness, Ikram Abdelhameed, reported RSF soldiers separating fleeing civilians at checkpoints and shooting the men.
Aid workers in Tawila, a displacement hub, note that arrivals consist mainly of women, children, and elderly men, with many others unaccounted for.
The United Nations human rights office estimates hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters may have been executed, classifying such acts as war crimes.
RSF leader Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged "violations" in a video statement, pledging investigations and immediate arrests of perpetrators.
The group released footage of one fighter's arrest for executions and claims to have facilitated civilian evacuations while providing aid.
However, observers question the leadership's control over loosely organized militias, including Arab groups and foreign mercenaries, and cite unfulfilled past promises of accountability.
Both sides in the conflict face accusations of ethnically motivated war crimes, with the military also implicated in targeting RSF support bases.
Activists like Kate Ferguson of Protection Approaches describe the RSF's tactics — encirclement, deprivation, arson, sexual violence, and massacres — as a deliberate genocidal strategy.
The fall of el-Fasher entrenches Sudan's geographical division and heightens calls for international intervention, including pressure on alleged RSF backers like the United Arab Emirates, which denies support.
Despite warnings, the global response has been inadequate, leaving civilians vulnerable to predictable cycles of brutality.