RSF attacks on the largest city in Darfur

Yesterday, heavily armed units of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) started encircling El Fasher, the largest city in the Sudanese province of Darfur – and, according to reports, there were serious clashes in the north and the east of the city. The RSF are blocking the most important roads out of the city. According to local sources, the Sudanese army is on high alert, demanding the civilian population to come to the city center to defend themselves there. “Only a few days ago, the city of El Geneina further to the east of Darfur had been encircled. Apparently, the RSF units killed hundreds of civilians there. They destroyed houses and forced thousands of people to flee,” stated Sarah Reinke, head of the human rights department of the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), in Göttingen on Friday. “A similar scenario is to be feared for El Fasher. Yesterday, RSF units looted the only market in Nyala, the second largest city in Darfur.” The RSF are moving units from Khartoum to Darfur. 

According to reports from El Geneina, activists have identified the first 500 bodies. Hundreds more are still lying on the roads, in mosques, and in private homes. Since last week, there have been reports about ethnic cleansing against the Masalit, a large ethnic group in Darfur. Several organizations, such as “Act for Sudan” and also the United Nations, are already warning of a new genocide.

Since April 15, 2023, there have been clashes between the RSF and Sudan’s regular army. As a consequence, more than half of the civilian population of Sudan is dependent on humanitarian aid. Civilians are exposed to violence on a daily basis, elderly people and children are starving, and people in care facilities and hospitals are at the mercy of the gunmen. Several journalists were murdered during the last few weeks, and members of the democracy movement are systematically persecuted and arrested. According to the United Nations, around 2,000 people lost their lives already – and the dark figure is significantly higher. More than 2.5 million people are on the run within and outside the country. While the clashes took place around Khartoum at the beginning, the violence has spread to at least six other regions over the last few weeks.