Sudanese and international experts are sounding the alarm about a potential massacre in El Fasher, Darfur, as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a full-scale attack on the city, the last government stronghold in the region.
El Fasher is the only remaining area in Darfur that the RSF does not completely control. Hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs), including survivors of past RSF attacks, have sought refuge in the city. Researchers at the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab estimate that at least 700,000 civilians are at imminent risk.
The RSF’s assault includes indiscriminate shelling from the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), with reports of over 100 casualties already. Additionally, the largest IDP camp in El Fasher, Zamzam, is completely unprotected and already faces severe hunger and lack of healthcare, with over two dozen children dying daily.
International and Sudanese humanitarian workers painted a grim picture at an emergency briefing. They warned of potential mass casualties from lack of access to humanitarian aid, deaths in the crossfire, and targeted killings by the RSF once they enter El Fasher.
Experts like Nathaniel Raymond, director of the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab, and Hala Al Karib, SIHA regional director, fear a repeat of the 2003-2004 genocide. They believe the RSF aims to complete the ethnic cleansing left unfinished in previous attacks.
“This is the final battle for Darfur. The RSF will have the freedom to complete the 2003/2004 genocide,” said Raymond. While Al Kabri stressed that “We cannot do anything but wait and anticipate a massacre in the making.”
Calls for International Action
As part of Avaaz’s Break the Blackout Campaign, human rights advocates urged the international community to address the dire situation. They pointed to the UN Security Council’s failure to take concrete action beyond condemnation and urged immediate steps like delivering aid, supporting emergency response efforts, and expanding the UN arms embargo.
The situation is particularly dire for women and girls who face a constant threat of violence both inside Sudan and in refugee camps across the border in Chad.
With the attack underway, the international community is urged to act swiftly to prevent a potential genocide. The experts warn that the window for action is rapidly closing, and the choice lies with the world to stop the RSF or be complicit in the slaughter of innocent civilians.