Fears of mass atrocities after Sudan’s el-Fasher falls to paramilitaries

Fears person mounted successful Sudan aft paramilitaries seized the cardinal metropolis of el-Fasher, amid reports of wide atrocities and the sidesplitting of 5 Red Crescent volunteers successful Kordofan.

The seizure of el-Fasher, the humanities bosom of Darfur, has accompanied reports of wide killings reminiscent of the region’s darkest days.

After an 18-month siege marked by starvation and bombardment, the metropolis is present nether the power of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), descendants of the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide 2 decades ago.

The paramilitary group, locked successful a brutal warfare with the Sudanese subject since April 2023, launched a last battle connected the metropolis successful caller days, seizing the army’s past positions.

In the neighbouring portion of North Kordofan, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent said that 5 Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers had been killed successful Bara connected Monday, and that 3 others were missing aft the RSF took power of the municipality connected Saturday.

Analysts accidental Sudan is present efficaciously partitioned on an east-west axis, with the RSF moving a parallel authorities crossed Darfur, portion the service is entrenched on the Nile and Red Sea successful the north, eastbound and centre.

For many, el-Fasher’s autumn revives memories of the 2000s, erstwhile the Janjaweed razed villages and killed hundreds of thousands successful what is believed to beryllium 1 of the worst genocides of the 21st century.

Since the city’s autumn connected Sunday, videos person been shared online, reportedly showing RSF fighters carrying retired executions and abusing civilians.

An RSF-led conjugation said connected Tuesday it would signifier a committee to verify the authenticity of videos and allegations, claiming that galore of the videos are “fabricated” by the army.

The United Nations warned of “ethnically motivated violations and atrocities”, portion the African Union condemned “escalating violence” and “alleged warfare crimes”.

Pro-democracy groups person described “the worst unit and taste cleansing” since Sunday, arsenic the army-allied Joint Forces accused the RSF of sidesplitting astatine slightest 2,000 civilians.

The UN said much than 26,000 radical fled el-Fasher successful conscionable 2 days, astir connected ft towards Tawila, 70km west.

Approximately 177,000 civilians stay trapped successful el-Fasher, according to the UN’s migration agency, aft the RSF constructed a 56km (35-mile) earthen berm, sealing disconnected food, medicine and flight routes.

The warfare successful Sudan has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and triggered the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis. Both sides basal accused of wide atrocities.