Sudan: El-Facher, symbol of a humanitarian tragedy after the city was taken by paramilitaries
The capture of El Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) under Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, known as ‘Hemetti,’ has plunged the city into an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The fall of the army’s last stronghold in Darfur this Sunday, after an 18-month siege, has been followed by widespread violence and alleged massacres.
New satellite imagery analyzed by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab reveals alarming evidence: an absence of population movement and piles of bodies in multiple neighborhoods, including university and military compounds.
Researchers conclude that most residents are now “dead, captured, or in hiding,” with clear indicators that “massacres are ongoing.”
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warns that civilians are being prevented from fleeing to safer areas like Tawila, 70 km away. Their teams report thousands remain trapped, with those attempting escape often shot or detained.
Disturbing accounts describe people being separated by sex, age, and presumed ethnicity, with some held for ransom.
The UN confirms over 65,000 civilians have escaped El Fasher, but tens of thousands remain trapped in the city, which had a pre-assault population of approximately 260,000.
Videos circulating online appear to show RSF fighters conducting summary executions, though the paramilitary group claims some footage is fabricated.
Since the war between General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan’s army and the RSF began in April 2023, it has killed thousands and displaced millions.
El Fasher, now under paramilitary control, stands as a stark symbol of a nation’s total humanitarian and moral collapse.
Moumouni Dango
