New reports from Darfur reveal horrifying allegations that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are burning and burying bodies to cover up war crimes, as thousands flee for their lives amid ethnic killings and starvation.
The humanitarian crisis in Sudan is spiraling into one of the darkest chapters in the nation’s history. Medical groups and survivors accuse the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of trying to erase evidence of mass killings in the war-torn city of el-Fasher, Darfur.
“A Desperate Attempt to Hide Genocide”
The Sudan Doctors Network issued a powerful statement on Sunday, alleging that RSF fighters have been collecting and burning hundreds of bodies after their takeover of el-Fasher on October 26.
“What happened in el-Fasher is not an isolated incident,” the group declared, calling it part of a “full-fledged genocide”. The statement condemned the RSF’s actions as violations of international and religious laws that protect the dignity of the dead.
The network warned that such atrocities “cannot be erased through concealment or burning.”
Civilians Trapped Amid Mass Killings
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), roughly 82,000 residents have fled el-Fasher since the RSF seized the city — out of a total population of 260,000. Many who tried to escape died on the road from injuries, hunger, or dehydration.
Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said survivors described witnessing friends and family members die along the route to Al Dabbah. Others discovered the fate of loved ones only through videos posted online by RSF fighters, showing brutal killings.
Ethnic Killings and Racial Violence
A communications blackout has made it nearly impossible for families to learn the fate of relatives still trapped inside the city. Witnesses say the RSF is targeting civilians based on ethnicity, echoing the horrors of Darfur’s past.
“They believe if their relatives are still alive inside el-Fasher, they may not be so for long,” Morgan reported. “The RSF has been targeting people based on their ethnicities.”
The RSF, once known as the Janjaweed militia, has a long history of ethnic violence in Darfur. Between 2003 and 2008, an estimated 300,000 people were killed, and nearly 2.7 million displaced during the original Darfur genocide.
“Hunted for the Colour of Their Skin”
Sylvain Penicaud of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said survivors who reached the town of Tawila told him they were targeted “because of the colour of their skin.”
“For me, the most terrifying part was civilians being hunted down while they were running for their lives,” he said. “They were attacked simply for being Black.”
The Zaghawa ethnic group, which dominates el-Fasher, has been fighting alongside the Sudanese army since late 2023. Once neutral, they joined the conflict after the RSF massacred thousands of Masalit civilians in el-Geneina, killing up to 15,000 people.
University student Hassan Osman, who escaped el-Fasher, described the discrimination vividly:
“If your skin is light, they might let you go,” he said. “It’s purely ethnic.”
The World Watches — But Acts Slowly
As the Sudan conflict deepens, reports of war crimes and ethnic cleansing continue to emerge with little international intervention. Aid groups warn that unless humanitarian access is restored, tens of thousands more could die from hunger, thirst, and targeted violence.
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