‘Horrific violations’: Arab nations slam RSF killings in Sudan’s el-Fasher

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and Jordan have condemned the abuses committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during their capture of the city of el-Fasher in Sudan, as more evidence emerged of mass killings in the strategic area.

The denunciations on Tuesday came as researchers at Yale University said satellite imagery of el-Fasher, taken after the RSF moved in, shows clusters of objects consistent with the size of human bodies, as well as large areas of red discolouration on the ground.
The RSF has been locked in a bloody civil war with Sudan’s army since 2023, in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people.

The paramilitary force overran el-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, on Sunday after 17 months of siege.

The Sudanese government said that at least 2,000 people have been killed in the city since then, while aid agencies say they have received credible reports of atrocities, including summary executions, attacks on civilians along escape routes and house-to-house raids.

Sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, was also reported in the city, they said.

El-Fasher’s fall puts the RSF in near full control of the vast region of Darfur and has raised concerns of another split of Sudan, more than a decade after South Sudan’s creation.

Saudi Arabia, in a statement on Tuesday, expressed “deep concern and condemnation of the grave human rights violations” and called on the RSF to fulfil their responsibility to protect Sudanese civilians.