'They killed most of the people in the city': survivors recount El-Fasher massacres

Survivors of the El-Fasher massacres have described women being raped, families executed, and bodies left on the roadside, as Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) swept through North Darfur's capital late last month, killing more than 300 women in two days.

The assault, documented by the United Nations, began on 25 October when RSF fighters entered El-Fasher, unleashing a wave of violence that left parts of the city in ruins. Witnesses said the group targeted civilians indiscriminately, storming hospitals and homes, looting property, and executing people attempting to flee.

According to Sudan's Minister of State for Social Welfare, Salima Ishaq, at least 300 women were killed in the first two days of the RSF’s takeover, while many others were subjected to sexual violence and torture.

"Anyone who tries to leave El-Fasher toward Tawila is in danger. The road has become a road of death," she said.

On 29 October, armed men attacked El-Fasher Maternity Hospital, killing at least 460 people, including patients, visitors, and healthcare workers, according to UN reports. The actual death toll is feared to be higher.

Thousands of survivors fled along a 50-kilometre stretch of road to Tawila, now hosting more than 620,000 displaced people living in severe deprivation.

Testimonies collected by UNFPA and its partners paint a picture of extraordinary cruelty.

Hani, 24, said he was one of only four survivors from a group of more than 200 people who fled the city.

"The RSF opened fire on us without asking any questions," he said. "They forced us to lie down, and two of my neighbours were shot dead beside me. Then they got into their vehicles and ran over the people who were still alive. Later, they demanded ransom from survivors - those who couldn’t pay were killed, including children and the elderly."

Asmaa, 26, said her husband was executed after paying to free her and their children."They killed my husband in front of me," she said.

Salam, 19, said soldiers raped her after separating her from the group. Alaa, 40, described walking for four days to reach safety. "They killed most of the people in the city. They raped many women and stole everything from us. They left us with nothing."

Sudan's government briefed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, calling the RSF’s actions in El-Fasher "horrific atrocities" and accusing the group of systematic ethnic cleansing.

RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, has acknowledged that "violations" occurred and claimed to have launched investigations.

The massacres in El-Fasher reflect the deep-rooted ethnic and political divisions that have long fuelled conflict in Darfur. The region's Arab nomadic herders and non-Arab farming groups, such as the Fur, Zaghawa, and Massalit, have clashed for decades over land and resources, amid state policies that favoured Arab groups and marginalised others.

Under former president Omar al-Bashir, the government armed Arab militias known as the Janjaweed to crush non-Arab rebellions - a campaign the UN later labelled genocide.

The RSF grew out of those militias and has since been accused of continuing similar campaigns of targeted ethnic violence.

Rights groups and UN agencies have in recent months documented mass killings, rape, and forced displacement across Darfur, particularly in West and North Darfur, where RSF forces have targeted non-Arab civilians. Observers warn the current campaign in El-Fasher may mark the most severe escalation of ethnic cleansing in the region in years.

The war between the Sudanese army and the RSF, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands and displaced around 13 million people. The RSF controls all five states of Darfur, while the army holds most of the remaining 13, including the capital Khartoum.