RSF 'concealing evidence' of massacres by burning, burying bodies, medics say

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia, believed to be behind numerous atrocities in Sudan, has been accused of concealing evidence of mass killings in Darfur by burying bodies in mass graves and burning bodies, a medical organisation said.

The RSF captured el-Fasher in the western Darfur region last month, following over a year of brutal siege. Thousands of civilians were killed, many of them summarily executed.

The Sudan Doctors Network has now said they have found evidence that the RSF collected "hundreds of bodies" from the streets after taking over the city, and are in a "desperate attempt" to hide evidence of their attacks.

The group, which has been outspoken in documenting the attacks of the RSF, said that the sheer magnitude of the crimes meant they could not be "erased through concealment or burning".

They added that the attacks "violated all international and religious norms that prohibit the mutilation of corpses and guarantee the dead the right to a dignified burial".

The network has urged the international community to take immediate action and has called for an independent international inquiry into atrocities in El-Fasher.

The UN Human Rights Representative in Sudan, Li Fung, said that El-Fasher had become a "city of grief" as a result of "brutal attacks".

The UN stated on Monday that since the RSF captured el-Fasher, around 89,000 people have fled from the city and nearby localities, including Tawila, Melit and Saraf Omra.

The UN Human Rights Office in Sudan said many civilians are still trapped in el-Fasher, while they have documented various crimes being carried out against them, such as ethnically motivated violence, rape, and summary executions.

The communications blackout in the area has further compounded the dire conditions, with many civilians cut off from their families.

The lack of food and water has also left families extremely vulnerable and struggling to survive.

Since April 2023, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF have been engaged in a civil war, which has had devastating consequences for the country's civilian population, particularly in the Darfur region.

Around 80 percent of hospitals are out of service in affected areas, while more than 90 percent of schools remain closed, the British Red Cross said.

In recent weeks, the violence in el-Fasher has spread to the nearby Kordofan region, with a drone attack killing at least 40 people and wounding dozens earlier this week.

Locals fear that the RSF is aiming to takeover el-Obeid, the capital of the north Kordofan province, and also a strategic supply route that links Darfur with Khartoum.

Around 40,000 people have been killed so far in the civil war, the World Health Organisation says, with no signs of the conflict coming to a halt.

The latest developments come as Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Abdelatty, travelled to Sudan on Tuesday. He is due to hold talks with senior officials amid the ongoing turmoil.

A readout from the foreign ministry stated that the officials will discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis and efforts on reaching a solution that will maintain the country’s security and stability.

The latest developments come as Sudan’s foreign minister, Mohieldin Salem, slammed what he called silence from the international community regarding violations committed by the RSF.

He said there was a "the need for concerted international efforts to designate the RSF as a terrorist organisation," in remarks made at a meeting in Port Sudan with the head of the International Organisation for Migration.