The UN and local medics have accused the RSF paramilitary group of genocide in Al-Fashir
Fierce battles between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have left Al-Fashir, the capital of North Darfur, in ruins after the paramilitary group seized control of the city, footage shows.
The RSF seized Al-Fashir – the last major stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the region – on October 26, after intense clashes ended a 19-month siege. The SAF confirmed a full withdrawal soon afterwards, leaving the city under RSF control. In the aftermath, reports emerged of mass atrocities by the rebels, including executions, house-to-house raids, and ethnically targeted killings that claimed thousands of lives.
Footage from the city released by Ruptly video agency on Saturday shows charred military vehicles, destroyed buildings, and entire neighborhoods of Al-Fashir reduced to rubble. Makeshift barricades and shelters apparently used by locals to hide from the fighting were also seen across the city.
The UN Security Council condemned the RSF assault on Al-Fashir, warning of a growing risk of large-scale, ethnically driven violence. The UN Human Rights Office in Sudan said on Saturday the city had become “a city of grief,” claiming that rebel attacks on civilians continue.
“Over the past ten days, El-Fasher has witnessed an escalation of brutal attacks,” Li Fung, the UN human rights representative in Sudan, said in a video published on X. “Hundreds have been killed, including women, children and the wounded who sought safety in hospitals and schools. Entire families were cut down as they fled. Others have simply vanished.”
On Sunday, the Sudan Doctors Network accused the RSF of a “full-fledged genocide” in Al-Fashir, alleging the group buried hundreds of civilians in mass graves to hide evidence of killings.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said around 89,000 of the city’s 260,000 residents fled after the RSF takeover.
Last week, the RSF said it accepted a US-backed plan for a humanitarian ceasefire in its two-year war with the Sudanese Army. The proposal, coordinated with Washington, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE, calls for a three-month truce followed by a nine-month political process. The army rejected it, vowing instead to rally support to fight the RSF.