El Fasher Massacre: Survivors Say Only Those Who Could Pay Lived

El Fasher Massacre: Survivors Say Only Those Who Could Pay Lived

Hani lay face down in the sand as blood from his neighbours seeped around him. Rifle barrels were still warm in the hands of Arab militiamen when he saw two women shot dead after trying to move on the outskirts of El Fasher.

According to a voice message obtained by The Telegraph, Hani was among roughly 200 people who fled the city together. Their escape quickly turned into a sequence of shootings, beatings, robberies and checkpoints where fighters demanded ransom. About 65 initially scattered into the brush; a later encounter with another RSF patrol killed a further 15. At a subsequent checkpoint, militiamen demanded 10 million Sudanese pounds (more than £2,000) per person and gave survivors just two hours to raise the money. Hani said only four people managed to pay; the rest were executed.

"Only four of us managed to pay. The rest were killed. They killed children, the elderly, and women... it was unbearable to watch people die right in front of you, each with a single bullet," Hani said from a displacement camp.

The Telegraph could not independently verify every detail of Hani's account, but his testimony aligns with other survivor statements and emerging forensic analysis. Satellite imagery and investigators from the Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab have reported evidence of graves and bodies that point to an extremely rapid and large-scale pattern of killings in and around El Fasher.

Context and wider allegations

Witnesses and analysts say the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an Arab-based paramilitary group with roots in the Janjaweed militias, have targeted Black African communities in Darfur. The US State Department concluded in January that RSF members had committed genocide in Sudan. Experts quoted by researchers describe the current phase of violence as potentially the "final battle" in the long-running Darfur atrocities.

Humanitarian organizations report thousands displaced, many arriving severely malnourished and traumatised. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said some 170 unaccompanied children reached its Tawila clinic, and aid workers describe many arrivals as "extremely emaciated." The UN and other agencies have warned of credible reports of widespread executions, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the war is "spiralling out of control." Estimates suggest tens of thousands fled El Fasher, though only a fraction have reached organized camps.

Accountability and international responses

Independent forensic and satellite analysis is ongoing. Several countries and organisations have been accused of providing support to opposing sides: allegations that the United Arab Emirates supplied arms and mercenaries to the RSF have been widely reported and are firmly denied by the UAE. The regular Sudanese army is reported to have received support from several states, including Egypt, Iran and Russia. Investigation and verification by independent international bodies remain essential to establish responsibility and to document crimes.

This reporting highlights an urgent humanitarian crisis: large-scale displacement, reports of mass killings and systematic abuses demand immediate protection, access for independent monitors and humanitarian assistance for survivors.