PORT SUDAN: Allies of Sudan’s army have accused paramilitary fighters of executing more than 2,000 civilians following the capture of El-Fasher.
The Rapid Support Forces now control every state capital in the Darfur region after an 18-month siege of the western city.
Joint Forces allies stated the RSF committed heinous crimes where most victims were women, children, and elderly citizens.
Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab confirmed fears of mass atrocities are materialising in El-Fasher.
The monitor reported the city appears to be undergoing systematic ethnic cleansing of Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti communities.
This process involves forced displacement and summary execution through door-to-door clearance operations.
Their assessment indicates RSF actions may constitute war crimes, crimes against humanity, and potentially genocide.
UN rights chief Volker Turk warned of growing risks of ethnically motivated violations in the captured city.
His office receives multiple alarming reports of RSF atrocities including summary executions against civilians.
Pro-democracy activists confirm residents endured the worst forms of violence and ethnic cleansing.
An authenticated video shows an RSF fighter known for executions shooting unarmed civilians at point-blank range.
The paramilitaries previously killed up to 15,000 non-Arab civilians in West Darfur’s capital El-Geneina.
Both the RSF and the Sudanese army face war crime accusations in the conflict that began in April 2023.
El-Fasher became one of the war’s grimmest locations during the prolonged siege warfare.
Displacement camps outside the city were officially declared to be in famine conditions.
People trapped inside the city resorted to eating animal fodder for survival.
The UN reported 260,000 people remained trapped without aid before the city’s capture.
African Union chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf expressed deep concern over escalating violence and atrocities.
He strongly condemned alleged war crimes and ethnically targeted killings of civilians.
Sudanese army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan acknowledged his forces withdrew from El-Fasher.
He pledged to continue fighting until the land is purified from paramilitary control.
Analysts observe Sudan is now effectively partitioned along an east-west axis.
The RSF has established a parallel government while controlling western territories.
International Crisis Group’s Alan Boswell warned this division grows more concrete daily.
He stated the longer the war continues, the harder this partition becomes to unwind.
UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash called the capture a turning point in the conflict.
He emphasised that the political path remains the only option to end the civil war.
The United Arab Emirates faces UN accusations of supplying weapons to the RSF.
The UAE denies these charges while participating in Quad peace efforts with the US, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt.
The Quad group has proposed a ceasefire and transitional civilian government excluding both warring parties.
Recent Washington talks involving the Quad made no progress toward resolving the conflict.
The Sudanese army receives backing from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Turkey according to observers.
These countries also deny involvement in supplying military support to the army.
The army retook full control of Khartoum in March but neither side shows willingness to compromise.
Both parties have achieved significant territorial gains that reduce incentives for negotiation. – AFP
