RSF Captures El-Fasher, Tightens Grip on Western Sudan Amid Genocide Fears

The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have captured the city of El-Fasher, the last major army stronghold in Sudan’s Darfur region, deepening fears of mass atrocities and ethnic violence in a conflict that has already left hundreds of thousands dead.

The fall of El-Fasher marks a major strategic victory for the RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti. His fighters now control nearly all of Darfur and large parts of neighbouring Kordofan, extending their grip across western Sudan. The capture followed an 18-month siege that left hospitals overwhelmed, food supplies blocked, and entire neighbourhoods flattened.

Humanitarian agencies warn that around 250,000 civilians remain trapped in El-Fasher, many of them from non-Arab communities such as the Massalit, who have long accused the RSF and allied militias of ethnic persecution. Reports from aid workers and survivors describe summary executions, sexual violence, and the destruction of displacement camps.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other international organisations have accused the RSF and allied groups of carrying out acts that may amount to genocide. The United States earlier this year officially determined that the RSF had committed genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

“RSF and allied militias have systematically murdered men and boys on an ethnic basis, and deliberately targeted women and girls for rape,” former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in January. “These atrocities are part of a calculated campaign to destroy non-Arab communities.”

The RSF denies the accusations, insisting that its operations are aimed at “tribal combatants” and not civilians. However, UN investigators say they have gathered testimonies indicating that RSF fighters used racist slurs during assaults and vowed to “Arabise” Darfur.

Satellite imagery and field reports reveal that entire towns, including El-Geneina and parts of West Darfur, have been razed. The Zamzam displacement camp, one of the largest in the region, was destroyed earlier this year, cutting off a critical lifeline for thousands already facing famine.

The international community’s response has been muted. Sanctions on Hemedti and other RSF leaders have had little visible effect, and peace talks remain stalled. With the RSF now controlling almost all of western Sudan, observers fear the conflict could evolve into a permanent partition of the country — or the erasure of Darfur’s non-Arab identity altogether.

For the residents of El-Fasher, survival has become an hour-to-hour struggle under siege. Aid agencies say famine, disease, and violence are closing in fast — and that without urgent global intervention, the human cost could grow beyond comprehension.