Sudanese medics accuse RSF of burning and burying bodies in el‑Fasher
A Sudanese medical organisation has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of attempting to hide evidence of mass killings in Darfur by burning corpses or burying bodies in mass graves following the group's capture of el‑Fasher on October 26.
'What happened in el‑Fasher is not an isolated incident but rather another chapter in a full‑fledged genocide carried out by the RSF, blatantly violating all international and religious norms that prohibit the mutilation of corpses and guarantee the dead the right to a dignified burial,' the Sudan Doctors Network said in a statement.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that about 82,000 of el‑Fasher's pre‑conflict population of roughly 260,000 fled after the RSF seized the city's last Sudanese army stronghold. Reports from displaced people and aid agencies describe killings, rape, torture and ethnic targeting during and after the takeover, and many residents are believed to remain trapped in and around the city.
Reporting from Khartoum, Al Jazeera's Hiba Morgan said that many who fled toward Al Dabbah died en route from lack of food and water or from gunshot wounds. Some escapees learned of relatives' deaths through social media videos allegedly posted by RSF fighters; several graphic clips showing extreme violence have circulated publicly since the city fell.
Medical and humanitarian workers say a communications blackout in el‑Fasher has left families uncertain about the fate of loved ones. 'They believe if their relatives are still alive inside el‑Fasher, then they may not be so for long because of a lack of food and water… or because the RSF has been targeting people based on their ethnicities,' Morgan reported.
Sylvain Penicaud of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said many civilians who fled to the town of Tawila described being singled out 'because of the colour of their skin.' 'The most terrifying part was civilians being hunted down while they were running for their lives; being attacked simply for being Black,' he said.
The RSF traces its roots to the largely Arab, government‑backed militia known as the Janjaweed, which has been accused of committing atrocities during earlier Darfur campaigns. Between 2003 and 2008, estimates suggest up to 300,000 people were killed and nearly 2.7 million displaced in waves of ethnic violence. More recently, massacres in el‑Geneina in West Darfur — where some reports put deaths at as many as 15,000 — prompted the Zaghawa community in el‑Fasher to take up arms alongside the Sudanese army late in 2023.
This account is based on statements from medical groups, international agencies and aid workers. Verifying allegations on the ground remains difficult amid restricted access and communications blackouts, but humanitarian workers warn of urgent food, water and medical needs for those still trapped and displaced.
