Accusations of mass atrocities against civilians in El-Fasher intensified on Tuesday, October 28. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University denounced "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing."

In about 20 seconds, a fighter guns guns down a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground. The video, authenticated by AFP, is one of many circulating on social media since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the town of el-Fasher in western Sudan. These paramilitary forces rose up two years ago against the central government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and have been sowing terror ever since.

"Shocking scenes " are "proudly and shamelessly filmed by the perpetrators themselves ," the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, aligned with the army, emphasized on X. " Traumatized and wounded ," the civilians who managed to flee "describe scenes of genocide ," according to an AFP correspondent based in Tawila, a refuge town located 70 kilometers from El-Fasher.

Capture of El-Fasher in Sudan: What do we know about the atrocities committed against civilians?

Accusations of mass atrocities against civilians in El-Fasher intensified on Tuesday, October 28. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University denounced "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing."

 

THE

October 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM

 

 

By

 

Benjamin Beraud

 

with agencies

Picture

The city of El-Fasher was captured by the FSR in Sudan this Sunday, October 26.

 

© AFP screenshot

  2-minute read

In about 20 seconds, a fighter guns guns down a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground. The video, authenticated by AFP, is one of many circulating on social media since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the town of el-Fasher in western Sudan. These paramilitary forces rose up two years ago against the central government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and have been sowing terror ever since.

(Re)read: Sudan: who are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)?

"Shocking scenes " are "proudly and shamelessly filmed by the perpetrators themselves ," the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, aligned with the army, emphasized on X. " Traumatized and wounded ," the civilians who managed to flee "describe scenes of genocide ," according to an AFP correspondent based in Tawila, a refuge town located 70 kilometers from El-Fasher.

Watch the video

The Joint Forces, allied with the army, accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday, October 28, of having executed "more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" on October 26 and 27 , "mostly women, children and the elderly".

" Grim executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls "

El-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in Darfur, was taken this Sunday by the FSR after more than 18 months of a deadly siege, giving them total control of this vast region covering a third of Sudan's territory.

Some 177,000 civilians remained in and around the city, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Hundreds of people were reportedly arrested while trying to flee, including Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, raising concerns about his safety and calls for his release.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported reports of "atrocious executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls " committed "by armed groups during assaults and against fleeing groups."

"A growing risk of atrocities motivated by ethnic considerations"

While some of these abuses target former combatants, there are also "indications of ethnic motivations," the UN asserts. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had previously warned of this growing risk, recalling Darfur's past. In the early 2000s, the region was the site of massacres perpetrated by the Janjaweed Arab militias, from which the SRF originated.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University (HRL), which analyzes open-source videos and satellite images, describes "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of non-Arab, Fur, Zaghawa and Barti communities, with forced displacements and mass executions."

Capture of El-Fasher in Sudan: What do we know about the atrocities committed against civilians?

Accusations of mass atrocities against civilians in El-Fasher intensified on Tuesday, October 28. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University denounced "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing."

 

THE

October 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM

 

 

By

 

Benjamin Beraud

 

with agencies

Picture

The city of El-Fasher was captured by the FSR in Sudan this Sunday, October 26.

 

© AFP screenshot

  2-minute read

In about 20 seconds, a fighter guns guns down a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground. The video, authenticated by AFP, is one of many circulating on social media since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the town of el-Fasher in western Sudan. These paramilitary forces rose up two years ago against the central government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and have been sowing terror ever since.

(Re)read: Sudan: who are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)?

"Shocking scenes " are "proudly and shamelessly filmed by the perpetrators themselves ," the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, aligned with the army, emphasized on X. " Traumatized and wounded ," the civilians who managed to flee "describe scenes of genocide ," according to an AFP correspondent based in Tawila, a refuge town located 70 kilometers from El-Fasher.

Watch the video

The Joint Forces, allied with the army, accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday, October 28, of having executed "more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" on October 26 and 27 , "mostly women, children and the elderly".

" Grim executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls "

El-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in Darfur, was taken this Sunday by the FSR after more than 18 months of a deadly siege, giving them total control of this vast region covering a third of Sudan's territory.

Map of the city of El-Facher, in Sudan.

 

© TV5MONDE

Some 177,000 civilians remained in and around the city, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Hundreds of people were reportedly arrested while trying to flee, including Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, raising concerns about his safety and calls for his release.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported reports of "atrocious executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls " committed "by armed groups during assaults and against fleeing groups."

"A growing risk of atrocities motivated by ethnic considerations"

While some of these abuses target former combatants, there are also "indications of ethnic motivations," the UN asserts. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had previously warned of this growing risk, recalling Darfur's past. In the early 2000s, the region was the site of massacres perpetrated by the Janjaweed Arab militias, from which the SRF originated.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University (HRL), which analyzes open-source videos and satellite images, describes "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of non-Arab, Fur, Zaghawa and Barti communities, with forced displacements and mass executions."

The level and number of violence in Darfur exceeds anything I have seen so far.

Nathaniel Raymond, the director of the HRL

Satellite observations of embankments littered with bodies on the outskirts of the city corroborate videos of summary executions of civilians attempting to flee, according to the report published Monday by the HRL.

"The level and number of violence in Darfur exceeds anything I have seen so far ," Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Human Rights League (HRL), told AFP. This American investigator, who has specialized in war crimes for 25 years, emphasized that with the FSR's aerial equipment, "no one can hide because they can see everything from the sky."

"The world must act immediately to put maximum pressure on the FSR and its backers, including the United Arab Emirates, to stop the killings," the HRL report states.

A "turning point" for the army, which promises revenge.

The loss of El-Fasher marks a "turning point" for the army and shows that "the political path is the only option to end the war," said Emirati presidential advisor Anwar Gargash on X. He called for the ratification of the plan of the so-called " Quad" group bringing together the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Emirates.

This plan calls for the formation of a civilian transitional government, excluding both the current pro-military government and the FSR from the post-conflict political transition. The pro-military authorities reject this.

Capture of El-Fasher in Sudan: What do we know about the atrocities committed against civilians?

Accusations of mass atrocities against civilians in El-Fasher intensified on Tuesday, October 28. The Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) at Yale University denounced "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing."

 

THE

October 28, 2025 at 2:23 PM

 

 

By

 

Benjamin Beraud

 

with agencies

Picture

The city of El-Fasher was captured by the FSR in Sudan this Sunday, October 26.

 

© AFP screenshot

  2-minute read

In about 20 seconds, a fighter guns guns down a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground. The video, authenticated by AFP, is one of many circulating on social media since the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized the town of el-Fasher in western Sudan. These paramilitary forces rose up two years ago against the central government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and have been sowing terror ever since.

(Re)read: Sudan: who are the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF)?

"Shocking scenes " are "proudly and shamelessly filmed by the perpetrators themselves ," the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, aligned with the army, emphasized on X. " Traumatized and wounded ," the civilians who managed to flee "describe scenes of genocide ," according to an AFP correspondent based in Tawila, a refuge town located 70 kilometers from El-Fasher.

Watch the video

The Joint Forces, allied with the army, accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday, October 28, of having executed "more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" on October 26 and 27 , "mostly women, children and the elderly".

" Grim executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls "

El-Fasher, the army's last stronghold in Darfur, was taken this Sunday by the FSR after more than 18 months of a deadly siege, giving them total control of this vast region covering a third of Sudan's territory.

Map of the city of El-Facher, in Sudan.

 

© TV5MONDE

Some 177,000 civilians remained in and around the city, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Hundreds of people were reportedly arrested while trying to flee, including Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, raising concerns about his safety and calls for his release.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported reports of "atrocious executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls " committed "by armed groups during assaults and against fleeing groups."

"A growing risk of atrocities motivated by ethnic considerations"

While some of these abuses target former combatants, there are also "indications of ethnic motivations," the UN asserts. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had previously warned of this growing risk, recalling Darfur's past. In the early 2000s, the region was the site of massacres perpetrated by the Janjaweed Arab militias, from which the SRF originated.

The Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale University (HRL), which analyzes open-source videos and satellite images, describes "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of non-Arab, Fur, Zaghawa and Barti communities, with forced displacements and mass executions."

The level and number of violence in Darfur exceeds anything I have seen so far.

Nathaniel Raymond, the director of the HRL

Satellite observations of embankments littered with bodies on the outskirts of the city corroborate videos of summary executions of civilians attempting to flee, according to the report published Monday by the HRL.

"The level and number of violence in Darfur exceeds anything I have seen so far ," Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Human Rights League (HRL), told AFP. This American investigator, who has specialized in war crimes for 25 years, emphasized that with the FSR's aerial equipment, "no one can hide because they can see everything from the sky."

"The world must act immediately to put maximum pressure on the FSR and their backers, including the United Arab Emirates, to stop the killings," the HRL report states.

A "turning point" for the army, which promises revenge.

The loss of El-Fasher marks a "turning point" for the army and shows that "the political path is the only option to end the war," said Emirati presidential advisor Anwar Gargash on X. He called for the ratification of the plan of the so-called " Quad" group bringing together the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Emirates.

This plan calls for the formation of a civilian transitional government, excluding both the current pro-military government and the FSR from the post-conflict political transition. The pro-military authorities reject this.

On Monday, the army chief, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto leader of Sudan since the 2021 coup, acknowledged his troops' defeat at El-Fasher. He promised "revenge" and " victory."