The number of civilians killed during an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the city of El Fasher, Sudan, on October 26-27 is feared to be even higher than the 2,000 casualties initially estimated by the Joint Forces for the Protection of Darfur. This was reported by Akhbar al-Asr, citing the Sudanese Doctors' Union.
Medical professionals suggest that the chaos on the ground and the actions of the RSF themselves are responsible for the inaccurate initial counts. The paramilitary group has been confiscating mobile phones from citizens and actively suppressing the flow of information about the situation in El Fasher from reaching the media.
In a significant development, the Yale University Humanitarian Research Lab has pledged to release "compelling evidence" of the mass killings in the city, including satellite imagery and video recordings.
El Fasher has been under a siege by the RSF for over a year. According to UN estimates, at least 260,000 people, half of whom are children, are trapped in the city, facing the imminent threat of death from starvation, disease, and near-daily shelling and assaults.
Human rights and humanitarian organizations have repeatedly accused the RSF of committing genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in the region.
The current conflict in Sudan erupted in April 2023, stemming from a power struggle between the Chairman of the Sovereign Council and army commander, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the head of the RSF, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. The clashes, which began in Khartoum, quickly spread across the country. The conflict has, by expert estimates, claimed at least 40,000 lives and displaced approximately 12 million people, pushing many to the brink of famine.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Christopher Michel/Creative Commons 2.0
Based on materials from TASS