The armed conflict in Sudan has taken a very serious turn following the capture of El Fasher , the capital of North Darfur state, by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) . Alarming reports indicate widespread massacres, marking a new phase of violence in the two-and-a-half-year war against the Sudanese army.

Escalation of Violence and Human Toll

The city of El Fasher, after an 18-month siege, fell to the RSF on October 26, giving them a major strategic victory in Darfur.

1. Massacres , sexual assaults , and widespread destruction are being reported.
2. Credible sources indicate that the FSR killed at least 1,500 civilians after capturing the city.
3. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that more than 450 people were killed in the Saudi hospital alone.
4. Humanitarian organizations say these acts are part of a "deliberate and systematic extermination campaign" , with house-to-house raids, executions of civilians on escape routes, and targeted sexual violence, particularly against non-Arab communities.
5. Analysis of satellite images by the Yale Humanitarian Research Laboratory appears to corroborate testimonies of extrajudicial executions.

🌍 Acute Humanitarian Crisis and International Condemnation

The humanitarian situation is catastrophic. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk , condemned the atrocities, citing "horrifying accounts of summary executions, rapes, and abductions."

1. Up to 200,000 people are believed to still be trapped in El Fasher, with extremely limited access to basic necessities (food, water, medical care).
2. More than 89,000 people have fled the area, joining places already saturated with displaced people.
3. An estimated 14 million people are internally displaced within Sudan, making it the world's worst population displacement crisis.
4. Two-thirds of the country's main hospitals are now out of service.

The United Nations Security Council strongly condemned the attack, warning of the "increased risk of large-scale atrocities, including ethnically motivated killings," and demanded the protection of civilians and unimpeded humanitarian access.

Strategic Implications and Call to Action

The fall of El Fasher represents a major strategic and symbolic victory for the RSF, which now holds almost total control of Darfur. This development raises fears of accelerated fragmentation in Sudan and regional destabilization.

Faced with the rapidly deteriorating situation, the international community is launching an urgent appeal :

1. Immediate ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian access.
2. The UN will hold an emergency session of the Human Rights Council on November 14 to examine the crisis.
3. Calls are growing for sanctions , an international arms embargo and accountability for atrocities committed.

The situation in El Fasher is a dramatic reminder of the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to a conflict that has already killed tens of thousands of people and brought the country to the brink of famine.