“They Raped Me in Front of My Mother”: Survivor Accounts of Mass Killings and Systematic Rape as RSF Seizes El Fasher

Survivors describe brutal assaults and mass violence as El Fasher falls

Fatima (not her real name) says she was struck and sexually assaulted in her own home while her mother screamed, after paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters entered their house in El Fasher. The attackers allegedly threatened to rape Fatima’s mother if she protested, and separated the family; several of Fatima’s brothers remain missing.

“I haven’t been able to face her to talk about what happened to us,” Fatima told reporters by telephone. “No one is talking about what happened yet. We are silent.”

Wider pattern of violence

Humanitarian workers and satellite imagery of the regional capital suggest mass killings when RSF forces captured El Fasher late last month amid the broader civil war between the Sudanese army and the RSF. Survivors and aid agencies report piles of bodies, pools of blood, and tens of thousands of civilians trapped in or fleeing the city, with some held for ransom.

Those who have reached nearby aid sites such as Tawila describe not only large-scale killings but also widespread sexual violence. Aid workers and human rights groups say the RSF appears to be using rape as a deliberate tool of terror, humiliation and control — a tactic reported repeatedly throughout the two-and-a-half-year conflict and reportedly deployed heavily during the RSF’s advance through El Fasher following an extended siege.

First-hand accounts

According to Fatima’s account, RSF fighters entered her family home around 8pm after the city’s last army defenses collapsed on Oct. 24–25. Initially her family hid, but her mother emerged to plead for mercy, saying they were civilians. The fighters separated women from men; Fatima says she was questioned about her marital status and age, then punched and raped while her mother screamed.

Another woman who asked to be identified as Halima described being stopped at an RSF checkpoint while fleeing El Fasher two days after it fell. She says she was groped, taken to a riverbed and raped before being left unconscious until a displaced person found her. After reaching a camp, Halima learned many other young women who had fled with her had also been assaulted.

Allegations of ethnic targeting

Human Rights Watch and other investigators say the RSF — a force with roots in Arab militias, including elements of the Janjaweed — has been accused of massacring Black African groups such as the Masalit and Zaghawa and of using sexual violence accompanied by ethnic slurs. Survivors and some footage have raised allegations that fighters sought to impregnate women as a means of forcing changes to community lineage; rights monitors say these claims warrant urgent investigation.

Laetitia Bader, director for the Horn of Africa at Human Rights Watch, said investigators have repeatedly documented individual fighters expressing intent to use sexual violence to target and intimidate communities across Darfur.

International and aid response

British and other international officials have described reports from Darfur as horrific, citing alleged atrocities, mass executions, starvation and rape used as a weapon of war. A United Nations fact-finding mission last year reported that most alleged sexual attacks in the conflict were attributed to the RSF.

Humanitarian agencies on the ground, including the United Nations Population Fund, say they are attempting to provide services to survivors arriving at camps such as Tawila. Many survivors, however, reach care too late for emergency treatments that can prevent unwanted pregnancies or address serious physical injuries, and stigma means many do not report assaults.

The United Arab Emirates has been accused in some analyses of providing logistics or material support to the RSF via neighbouring countries — allegations the UAE denies. International calls have grown for measures to cut off arms supplies and for accountability for alleged crimes.

Calls for justice

Survivors and aid workers are calling for investigations and accountability as they confront the physical and psychological aftermath of mass violence. Rights groups and international bodies continue documenting allegations that rape and other abuses have been used deliberately amid the broader conflict in Darfur.

Note: Many details in survivors’ testimonies are still being verified. The accounts described here are those reported by survivors, aid workers and rights organizations and should be understood as part of ongoing investigations into alleged crimes in Darfur.