Mass killings reported in Sudanese city seized by paramilitary group

Sudan's Western Darfur region has descended into chaos after paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the city of El Fasher, leading to reports of ethnically motivated mass killings and atrocities. Satellite imagery from Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab suggests that the RSF may be engaging in systematic ethnic cleansing against non-Arab communities, including the Fur, Zaghawa, and Berti Indigenous groups.

Eyewitness footage appears to show the RSF executing unarmed civilians at point-blank range, while video footage purportedly taken by pro-democracy activists depicts dozens of people lying dead on the ground alongside burnt-out vehicles. These claims have been corroborated by the Joint Forces, an alliance with Sudan's army, which has accused the RSF of executing over 2,000 unarmed civilians in recent days.

The Yale Lab describes the city as being "in a systematic and intentional process of ethnic cleansing," including forced displacement and summary executions. Satellite evidence suggests that bodies on the ground are showing signs of red discoloration, consistent with mass killings. Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale Lab, compares the level of violence in El Fasher to the first 24 hours of the Rwandan genocide.

The RSF has been engaged in a bloody civil war with Sudan's army since April 2023, resulting in over 150,000 deaths and more than 14 million displaced people. The UN rights chief, Volker Türk, warns that there is a growing risk of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" in El Fasher.

Humanitarian organizations are racing to provide aid to those trapped in the city, with Médecins Sans Frontières reporting a massive influx of wounded civilians from El Fasher. The Darfur Internally Displaced People Network describes the crisis as "the final stage of the Darfur genocide," with reports of entire families hanging from trees and ditches filled with bodies.

The RSF's capture of El Fasher marks a significant turning point in the war, giving them control over all five state capitals in Darfur. This development raises concerns that Sudan could face partition, with the army excluded from nearly a third of the country's territory.

OMG THIS IS SUCH A DISASTER IN DARFUR!!! I cant even imagine what its like to be living in a city where ppl are being executed and forced to flee their homes. The fact that theres red discoloration on bodys is just horrific. 2,000 unarmed civs killed is CRAZY! How can one group of people do so much harm to another? The UN rights chief is right its like the final stage of a genocide. We need to get more aid in ASAP or else ppl will be dying for sure. Partitioning sudan would be a disaster too...

Ugh, this is getting so out of hand ... I mean, 2,000+ civilians executed? That's just insane. Satellite imagery showing signs of ethnic cleansing is not something you see every day . The RSF needs to get their act together ASAP. It's crazy how the city has descended into chaos like this. What's going on in El Fasher right now is like a war crime scenario . I'm so worried about the lives lost and displaced people... it's just heartbreaking. And now they're talking about partition? That would be devastating for Sudan . Can't we just have world leaders get together to find a peaceful solution to these conflicts?

lol u gotta get ur facts straight fam its not just 1-2k deaths, its over 2 MILLION people displaced n more than 150k deaths in this civil war since april 2023 thats like a whole army gone & the RSF takin control of el fasher is super sus cuz u got eyewitnesses showin mass killings n the UN rights chief sayin ethnically motivated violations are on the rise i dont think we can rule out ethnic cleansing here, its lookin like theyre purposfully targeting non arab communities & btw, the whole "final stage of the darfur genocide" thing sounds super dramatic to me

I'm low-key freaking out about what's happening in El Fasher . Like, how can 2k+ unarmed civilians just get executed at point-blank range? It's not even like they were fighting back or anything. This systematic ethnic cleansing is straight up terrifying. I mean, we've been hearing about the Darfur genocide for ages now, but it feels like it's getting worse by the day. The RSF taking control of El Fasher is like a ticking time bomb, and if the UN doesn't do something ASAP, it could escalate into full-blown chaos . Partition is a real possibility, which would be a nightmare for Sudan as a whole. We need to get those humanitarian organizations in there ASAP to help out. This isn't some sort of civil war drama - people are dying left and right .

I'm seeing some pretty alarming reports coming out of Sudan right now and I need to fact-check this stuff. The claims of ethnic cleansing are super serious so I'd love to see more evidence from credible sources. Satellite imagery is one thing, but how can we trust that the Yale Lab's analysis isn't being biased? And what about the eyewitness footage - isn't it possible that those videos could be manipulated or staged?

I'm also concerned about the lack of concrete numbers on the death toll and displacement. 2,000 unarmed civilians sounds like a huge number, but where's the proof? How did they come to that estimate? And what about the reports of families being hanged from trees - are those just urban legends or are there any solid sources to back it up?

Lastly, I'd love to see some more context on the broader conflict. What were the RSF doing before they took control of El Fasher? Were they already engaged in human rights abuses, or did this marked a turning point in their actions?

this is like something out of a nightmare, you feel? systematic ethnic cleansing, mass killings, and forced displacement... it's just devastating . I keep thinking about the civilians, unarmed and executed at point-blank range, their bodies showing signs of red discoloration... it's just too much to process . The scale of this crisis is massive, with over 150,000 deaths and 14 million displaced people... it's like the world is just standing by . I hope humanitarian organizations can get in there ASAP to provide aid, but at what cost?

this is just getting worse by the day its like we're watching a movie and we cant look away. i mean what is happening in el fasher? 2k unarmed people executed in one day? its like something out of a horror movie. and now the yale lab is saying its systematic ethnic cleansing... how many more deaths has to happen before someone does something about it? the world needs to step up and help these ppl. we cant just sit back and watch as another genocide unfolds.

omg what's going on in sudan?! so basically these paramilitary forces took over el fasher and now there are reports of mass killings and ethnic cleansing against non-arab communities... like literally thousands of unarmed civilians have been executed in recent days? it's getting worse, the UN rights chief is saying that there's a high risk of ethnically motivated violations and atrocities happening. humanitarian orgs are trying to get aid to those trapped but it's super worrying. partitioning sudan could happen now with these forces controlling all 5 state capitals in darfur... what are we even doing?

My god, this is like, super heartbreaking ...what's happening to those innocent people in El Fasher? I mean, I'm watching all these videos and it's just devastating, they're getting executed or killed by their own side, can't believe it . I know the Sudanese government is already dealing with a lot of issues but this is like, on another level...the numbers are crazy 2,000+ unarmed civilians killed? how do people even live in such fear? The UN rights chief is saying something about "ethnically motivated violations" and it's like, we should be doing way more to help them stop this bloodshed ASAP . We need to raise awareness and get those humanitarian orgs on the ground there ASAP so they can provide aid to all these people

this is like something outta a nightmare - the scale of what's happening in western darfur is just horrific. systematic ethnic cleansing is not some far-off concept anymore, it's like a reality we thought we'd left behind . 2,000 unarmed civilians killed in a few days? that's just insane. how can you even plan for such atrocities on a massive scale? and to think they're doing this in the name of "security" or something... it's just sadistic . we need to get more aid in ASAP, these people are dying in droves . partition sounds like a possible outcome now - can't imagine what that would look like for sudan...

The situation in Western Darfur is absolutely devastating and it's heartbreaking to see non-Arab communities being targeted by the RSF. Systematic ethnic cleansing is a horrific crime against humanity and it's essential that we take immediate action to stop this atrocity. The scale of violence, with over 2,000 unarmed civilians executed in recent days, is staggering and it's unacceptable. We need to hold those responsible accountable and provide aid to the people trapped in El Fasher .

I'm also worried about the implications of the RSF's capture of El Fasher on Sudan's future, with the risk of partition looming large. It's crucial that we work towards a peaceful resolution to this conflict and ensure that the rights of all Sudanese citizens are protected. The international community needs to step up its response to this crisis and provide necessary support to humanitarian organizations working tirelessly to reach those affected .

We need to acknowledge the historical context of the Darfur genocide and how it's unfolding again, with the same ethnic groups being targeted once more. It's essential that we learn from history and work towards a future where such atrocities never happen again

this is gonna be a total mess, gotta think about the history of Darfur already... RSF taking control of El Fasher, and now they're just executing civilians left and right , like they don't even care anymore. And what's with the UN just sitting there, all quiet, when you got 2k+ people just wiped out in a single day? it's like, how do you just ignore that kind of thing?

I'm not surprised though, Sudan's been a mess for ages, and now this... it's like the whole country is one big disaster waiting to happen . The RSF thinks they're all high and mighty with their control over all five state capitals, but newsflash: you can't just bully your way to stability. It's gonna take a lot more than that to fix this mess.

The UN's right though, there is a growing risk of "ethnically motivated violations and atrocities" here... it's like they're just waiting for the perfect excuse to step in and save the day . But let's be real, by then it'll probably be too late, and we'll all just have to deal with the aftermath of this whole thing.

1000+ innocent lives lost already? El Fasher is descending into madness ... RSF's actions are straight outta war movies, but we're living in reality ... Can't believe it's come to this in our modern era . The UN needs to step up its game ASAP ... Sudan needs help from the international community, like yesterday!

lol what's up with these paramilitary groups in Sudan they're like real-life video game characters right? executing civilians left and right anyway i'm no expert but it seems like the RSF is on a mission to make darfur look like rwanda all over again 2k unarmed civilians executed, that's just nasty.

i mean who needs satellite imagery when you've got red discoloration on bodies? like come on Yale Lab, get the job done already.

sudan's army vs rsf is like a super long game of chess, but with more bullets and less checkers . 150k+ deaths and 14m displaced people? that's just too much.

anyway, let's hope humanitarian orgs can get some aid to those trapped in el fasher ASAP they need it now more than ever.

this is literally heartbreaking what's happening in Sudan rn, i mean i keep reading about these reports of ethnic killings and atrocities and it just feels like we're watching history repeat itself all over again. 2k+ unarmed civilians executed in one day? that's insane. and the fact that satellite imagery can confirm it's not just some crazy eyewitness claims but actual evidence is just devastating .

i think what's scariest is how this whole situation is being ignored by the international community, like we're all just sitting around watching this happen while people are getting killed left and right. where's the outrage? where's the action?

sudan needs our help, not just money or aid, but a collective voice to demand that these atrocities stop. we can't just sit back and let this genocide continue under our watchful eyes .

man this is such a dark time for sudan i feel so bad for the ppl caught up in this chaos but you know what also really got me thinking? how can we use these kinds of tragic events to bring people together instead of tearing them apart? like, we need to be supporting organizations that are on the ground helping those ppl ASAP and also bringing attention to the situation so more ppl know what's going on. it's crazy when a war between 2 groups can just spark this level of violence and displacement but we gotta try to look at the bigger picture here too, like how can we create a world where stuff like this never happens in the first place?

the situation in sudan is getting more and more dire by the day. it's heartbreaking to see what's happening to innocent civilians , especially those who are being targeted because of their ethnicity. systematic ethnic cleansing is just not something we can turn a blind eye to... we need to be holding our leaders accountable for this kind of brutality.
the fact that the rsf has taken control of el fasher and now it's showing signs of red discoloration on the bodies, it's like they're making a statement - they want everyone to know what they're capable of . we can't just sit back and watch this unfold, there needs to be action taken.
and have you seen the stats on displaced people? 14 million is just staggering... it's like they've been forgotten by the world. we need to raise awareness about what's happening in darfur and demand that something be done to stop these atrocities

OMG, this is insane!!! I'm seriously worried about what's happening in El Fasher. The idea that someone's been executing unarmed civilians at point-blank range is just... wow. How can something like this happen? It's like a bad dream come true.

I'm also so frustrated with how quickly the RSF took control of the city without anyone stopping them. I mean, what happened to all the international aid and diplomacy efforts that were supposed to be helping the situation in Darfur?

And now, it seems like the whole region is descending into chaos. It's just too much for me to handle. 2k+ people killed in 24 hours? That's just... ugh. The stats on displacement are already insane - 14 million people displaced! What does the future hold for these people?

We need to take action ASAP, we can't just sit back and watch this catastrophe unfold. I'm following all the humanitarian updates, it's heartbreaking. We have to do better than this.

omg u guys i just can't even think about sudan rn the news about el fasher is literally heart breaking what if we ever have to deal with something like this in our own country? my cousin's friends are actually from darfur and they were telling me about how bad things got there before it all escalated into this chaos i feel so helpless watching this on the news and knowing that innocent people are losing their lives over ethnicities it's just not right