The city of el-Fasher in Sudan has become the epicenter of a deepening humanitarian crisis following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia. Reports from the United Nations and local activists paint a grim picture of widespread violence, including the massacre of 460 civilians at the city’s main hospital. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization (WHO), expressed profound shock at the atrocities, describing the hospital as a site of unimaginable brutality. The Sudan Doctors’ Network corroborated these accounts, stating that RSF fighters executed patients, medical staff, and bystanders indiscriminately, transforming healthcare facilities into ‘human slaughterhouses.’
In addition to the mass killings, the RSF has been accused of kidnapping six medical professionals, demanding exorbitant ransoms for their release. The el-Fasher Resistance Committee, a local activist group, reported a ‘horrifying silence’ in the aftermath of the hospital attack, underscoring the terror gripping the city. El-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in the Darfur region, fell to the RSF after an 18-month siege characterized by starvation and relentless bombardment.
The conflict, which began in April 2023, has seen the RSF and allied Arab militias accused of targeting non-Arab ethnic groups, allegations the RSF denies. With the city’s capture, concerns have mounted for the estimated 250,000 civilians trapped within, many from vulnerable communities. A communications blackout has hindered efforts to verify the full extent of the devastation, though new videos analyzed by BBC Verify show RSF fighters executing unarmed individuals.
Refugees fleeing to Tawila, a town 60 kilometers west of el-Fasher, have recounted harrowing tales of violence, including beatings, theft, and executions. Jan Egeland, a former UN humanitarian official, described the situation as ‘the worst place on Earth,’ emphasizing the catastrophic combination of massacres, starvation, and lack of medical care. Dr. Tedros called for an immediate ceasefire, highlighting that 185 attacks on healthcare facilities have resulted in 1,204 deaths since the war began.
The fall of el-Fasher has effectively split Sudan, with the RSF controlling much of Darfur and neighboring Kordofan, while the army retains Khartoum and eastern regions. The conflict, rooted in a power struggle between former allies, threatens to plunge the nation further into chaos as international attention remains insufficient.