Genocide

Paramilitary forces killed hundreds of civilians in Sudan's El Fasher last week, with survivors describing execution-style killings and ransom demands at checkpoints.

Context

Sudan's civil war began in 2023 when tensions erupted between two former allies: The country's military and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group with origins in the Janjaweed militia involved in the 2003-2005 Darfur genocide. The current conflict has killed as many as 150,000 people and displaced 14M from their homes. More than 24M people face acute food insecurity, with famine declared in two regions.

El Fasher Falls

The RSF seized El Fasher last week after an 18-month siege, marking the fall of the military's last stronghold in the Darfur region. As many as 200,000 people remained trapped in El Fasher, where the number of people killed in the past week may have exceeded the 70,000 deaths recorded over two years in Gaza.

Researchers at the Yale School of Public Health said satellite images showed evidence suggesting "a velocity of killing that can only be compared with the Rwandan genocide." One researcher described the current killings as part of "the final battle of the Darfur genocide that began 20 years ago."

Pay or Die

Survivors described a gauntlet of violence as they fled the city. One witness recounted how a group of 200 people attempting to escape encountered multiple RSF checkpoints. At the fourth checkpoint, fighters demanded a ransom worth more than £2,000 per person and gave them two hours to arrange payment.

"Only four of us managed to pay," the survivor told outlets. "The rest were killed. They killed children, the elderly, and women. I cannot describe the scene, it was unbearable to watch people die right in front of you, each with a single bullet."

Systematic Killings

The RSF rampaged through a hospital last week after capturing the city, killing more than 450 people. Witnesses described fighters going door to door, killing and sexually assaulting civilians. Some RSF troops posted videos of themselves shooting civilians, including in the town's maternity hospital.

One woman who escaped told outlets, "Fathers were killed, brothers kidnapped, and women were raped in front of us. At that point, you only think about how to survive. They were like monsters." UN Secretary General António Guterres said the war was "spiraling out of control" and called for an immediate halt to fighting. The International Criminal Court said it was collecting evidence of mass killings and rapes, while the US State Department officially determined in January that members of the RSF had committed genocide in Sudan.