Accusations of mass atrocities against civilians in El-Fasher intensified on Tuesday, October 28. Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) denounced "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing."

In about twenty seconds, a fighter guns down a group of unarmed civilians sitting on the ground. The video, authenticated by AFP, is one of many circulating on social media since the capture of the western Sudanese town of al-Fasher by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the insurgent forces fighting against the central government of Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and under the command of Mohamed Hamdan Dogolo.

"Shocking scenes " are "filmed proudly and shamelessly by the perpetrators themselves ," the Sudanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aligned with the army, emphasizes on X. " Traumatized and wounded ," the civilians who managed to flee "describe scenes of genocide ," according to an AFP correspondent based in Tawila, a refugee town located 70 kilometers from El-Fasher.

The Joint Forces, allied to the army, accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Tuesday, October 28, of having executed "more than 2,000 unarmed civilians" on October 26 and 27 , "mostly women, children and elderly people."

" Atrocious executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls "

The army's last stronghold in Darfur, El-Fasher, was captured by the RSF on Sunday after more than 18 months of deadly siege, giving them full control of this vast region covering a third of Sudan's territory.

Some 177,000 civilians remain in and around the city, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Hundreds have reportedly been arrested as they tried to flee, including Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim, sparking concerns for his safety and calls for his release.

On Tuesday, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees reported "horrific executions" and "sexual violence against women and girls " committed "by armed groups during attacks and on fleeing groups."

"A growing risk of ethnically motivated atrocities"

While some of these abuses involve former combatants, there are also "indications of ethnic motivations," the UN assures. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had also warned of this growing risk, recalling Darfur's past. The region was the target of massacres in the early 2000s by the Arab Janjaweed militias, from which the RSF originated.

Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL), which analyzes open-source videos and satellite images, reports "a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing of the non-Arab indigenous Fur, Zaghawa, and Bartis communities, including forced displacement and mass executions."

The level of violence and its number in Darfur exceeds anything I have seen so far.

Nathaniel Raymond, Director of HRL

Satellite observations of body-strewn embankments on the outskirts of the city corroborate videos of summary executions of civilians trying to flee, according to the report published Monday by the HRL.

"The level of violence and its scale in Darfur exceeds anything I've seen before ," Nathaniel Raymond, director of the HRL, told AFP. This American investigator, who has specialized in war crimes for 25 years, emphasizes that with the FSR's aerial equipment, "no one can hide because they can see everything from the sky."

"The world must act immediately to put maximum pressure on the FSR and its supporters, particularly the United Arab Emirates, to stop the killings," the HRL report states.

A "turning point" for the army which promises revenge

The loss of El-Fasher marks a "turning point" for the army and shows that "the political path is the only option to end the war," declared Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash on X. He called for the ratification of the plan of the so-called " Quad" group bringing together the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Emirates.

This plan provides for the formation of a transitional civilian government, excluding both the current pro-army government and the RSF from the post-conflict political transition. This is something the pro-army government rejects.

On Monday, army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan's de facto ruler since the 2021 coup, acknowledged his troops' defeat in El Fasher. He promised "revenge" and " victory."