More than 6,000 people were killed in just over three days during an offensive launched in late October by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a Sudanese paramilitary group, against the town of el-Fasher in Darfur, according to a United Nations report published Friday. The UN describes "a wave of intense violence" whose scale and brutality are described as "shocking."
According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the attack to seize el-Fasher (the last Sudanese army stronghold in Darfur) was accompanied by widespread atrocities that may constitute war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity. High Commissioner Volker Türk denounced the "gratuitous" violations committed by the RSF and allied Arab militias, stressing that persistent impunity fuels a seemingly endless cycle of violence.
The RSF, supported by Arab militias known as the Janjaweed, captured el-Fasher on October 26 after an 18-month siege. The 29-page report documents a series of abuses: massacres, summary executions, sexual violence, kidnappings for ransom, torture, ill-treatment, arbitrary detentions, and disappearances. In many cases, the attacks were reportedly motivated by ethnic considerations.
The document states that the UN documented at least 4,400 deaths inside the city between October 25 and 27, and more than 1,600 additional deaths among those attempting to flee. These figures are based on interviews conducted with 140 victims and witnesses, deemed consistent with independent analyses of satellite imagery and videos filmed at the time. The report cautions, however, that the true death toll from the week-long offensive is "undoubtedly significantly higher."
Among the incidents described, RSF fighters reportedly opened fire with heavy weapons on a crowd of approximately 1,000 people sheltering in a dormitory at El Fasher University on October 26, killing around 500. One witness recounted seeing bodies thrown into the air, “like a scene from a horror movie.” On the same day, approximately 600 people, including 50 children, were reportedly executed while taking shelter in university facilities.
The report also fails to account for at least 460 people killed on October 28 during the assault on the Saudi maternity hospital, according to the World Health Organization. Furthermore, approximately 300 people are believed to have died in bombings and drone attacks carried out by the RSF on October 23 and 24 against the Abu Shouk displacement camp, located near el-Fasher.
The United Nations also describes widespread use of sexual violence during the offensive, including rape and gang rape. Women and girls from the non-Arab Zaghawa tribes of Africa were reportedly targeted in particular, accused by the attackers of supporting the army. Volker Türk, who visited Sudan last month, says that survivors have given testimonies indicating that this violence was "systematically used as a weapon of war."
The report also mentions numerous kidnappings during escape attempts, with releases conditional on ransom payments. Thousands of people are believed to have been detained in at least ten RSF-run centers in el-Fasher, including a children's hospital converted into a detention facility. The RSF did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press, although its leader, General Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has previously acknowledged abuses committed by his forces, while denying the extent of the atrocities.
