Sudan’s RSF arrest fighters amid UN probe into El Fasher atrocities
(MENAFN) Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) announced they had arrested several members accused of abuses following their capture of El Fasher, as the United Nations demanded urgent investigation into reports of mass killings, sexual violence, and other atrocities in the city.
The RSF, locked in conflict with Sudan’s army since April 2023, seized El Fasher on Sunday, ousting the army after an 18-month siege characterized by bombardment and widespread starvation. Survivors fleeing to nearby Tawila described scenes of mass executions, children shot in front of their parents, and civilians beaten and robbed.
Among those detained by the RSF is a man known as Abu Lulu, who appeared in multiple videos allegedly committing summary executions. Verified footage shows him shooting unarmed men and celebrating near bodies and burnt vehicles. The RSF released a video purportedly showing him in custody and vowed fair trials and adherence to “military discipline during wartime.”
Despite these claims, videos circulating online suggest RSF fighters continued carrying out extrajudicial killings throughout El Fasher, which remains cut off from communications.
The UN warned the death toll could reach hundreds, while army-aligned sources accused the RSF of killing over 2,000 civilians.
UN officials voiced deep concern over reports of executions, gang rapes, abductions, attacks on aid workers, looting, and forced displacement. They called for “independent, prompt, transparent and thorough investigations” into all alleged violations. The World Health Organization confirmed at least 460 people, including patients, were killed in attacks on the Saudi Maternity Hospital, one of the city’s last functioning medical facilities.
Humanitarian agencies reported that over 62,000 people fled El Fasher in the days following the RSF takeover, with tens of thousands still trapped. Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab suggested the presence of clusters consistent with human casualties and possible blood pooling. Analysts warned that atrocities are likely to continue, particularly against non-Arab groups such as the Zaghawa, Fur, Berti, and Masalit.
The RSF, originating from Janjaweed militias previously accused of genocide in Darfur, has a history of targeting ethnic communities, including the Masalit in El-Geneina in 2023, where up to 15,000 were killed.
UN officials also reported violence spreading to North Kordofan, where more than 35,000 people fled paramilitary advances, including attacks in Bara that killed at least 50 civilians and five Red Crescent volunteers. Observers warned Kordofan may become the next site of large-scale escalation.
El Fasher’s capture gives the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur, establishing a self-declared rival administration, while Sudan’s army retains authority over the north, east, and central regions of the country. Both sides have faced allegations of war crimes during the ongoing conflict, which the US has previously labeled as genocidal in Darfur.
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