Refugees International Atrocity Alert on El Fasher, Darfur
Statement from Refugees International:
“Refugees International has received direct and credible reports of deeply alarming ethnically targeted mass killings and aid blockages by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in El Fasher, Darfur. These killings are ongoing in real time amidst the RSF’s conquest of the town. As Refugees International has documented elsewhere in Darfur, RSF conquests tend to be followed by a wave of genocidal, ethnically targeted violence. We urge those with influence over the RSF—chief among them the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has enabled atrocities through its provision of weapons to the RSF—to use their leverage to end the ongoing atrocities and to open humanitarian access and safe evacuation corridors.
Sudanese volunteer networks operating near El Fasher, with whom Refugees International has spoken, report a steady influx of wounded civilians fleeing ethnically driven attacks. The volunteers have been unable to reach, or even communicate with, more than 200,000 civilians still trapped inside the city—including over 150 of their own volunteer colleagues.
People who have managed to escape El Fasher say they have not had access to food or water in the last 48 hours. Survivors described seeing people left behind who were killed, detained, or forced away from escape routes. They report that the RSF is shooting at people trying to leave El Fasher. These abuses come after more than 500 days of siege in an area already facing famine, and amid parallel aid denials and attacks in the Kordofans.
These reports are consistent with satellite evidence cited by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab leading them to conclude that ethnic cleansing appears to be under way “through forced displacement and summary execution.”
The RSF must end attacks on civilians and open humanitarian corridors. As one volunteer put it, “opening safe corridors is now the top priority” so aid can reach people who are trapped and evacuations can proceed. Local responders know how to move people and target assistance, but they lack the political space and security guarantees to operate. Donors should back Sudanese volunteer networks with flexible support.
The UAE has joined Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United States (the Quad) to press the RSF and SAF toward peace talks, stating that there is no viable military solution to the conflict and calling for unhindered humanitarian aid. But the UAE’s history of arms transfers and diplomatic cover for the RSF makes it complicit in atrocities in El Fasher. It must now use its leverage to press RSF leaders to stop attacks on civilians and open unfettered humanitarian access.
The United States’ lead on Quad engagement, Massad Boulos, has likewise called on the RSF to “protect civilians and prevent further suffering.” The Quad must use sanctions and other accountability measures to hold RSF commanders and external enablers accountable for failure to meet these demands. A united, high-level Quad message backed by tangible consequences is urgently needed to change the RSF’s calculus.
Finally, the UN Security Council should convene, in the next 24 hours, an emergency Council session on El Fasher to demand an immediate halt to attacks on civilians, mandate unhindered humanitarian access, and consider measures—including targeted sanctions and monitoring mechanisms—to enforce compliance and protect civilians.”
Read a thread on X from Refugees International President Jeremy Konykdyk calling on the UAE to restrain the RSF as it commits grave atrocities in El Fasher.
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For more information or to schedule an interview, contact Etant Dupain at edupain@refugeesinternational.org.