The leader of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, has announced an investigation into alleged atrocities committed by his soldiers during the recent takeover of el-Fasher. This statement comes in the wake of growing international condemnation fueled by social media videos appearing to document civilian killings carried out by RSF fighters in the Darfur region.
In an apparent response to the mounting pressure, the RSF has released footage purporting to show the arrest of a fighter identified online as “Abu Lulu,” who is accused of participating in executions in el-Fasher. BBC Verify has geolocated this footage to Shala Prison on the city’s outskirts, confirming the man’s detention.
However, the UN’s top humanitarian official, Tom Fletcher, has expressed skepticism about the RSF’s assurances of civilian protection, highlighting the “appalling news” emerging from el-Fasher. He stressed the need for accountability for those involved in the killings and sexual violence, as well as for those who supplied the weapons. Fletcher described the situation as a “crisis of apathy,” particularly given Sudan’s dire humanitarian crisis.
The UK’s Foreign Office Minister, Stephen Doughty, echoed these concerns, stating that the scale of suffering, often linked to ethnicity and involving sexual violence against women and girls, is “unconscionable.” He noted the mounting evidence of civilians being executed and tortured.
In response to the escalating crisis, the UN Security Council has issued a statement condemning the assault on el-Fasher, demanding safe passage for fleeing civilians, and reaffirming its non-recognition of the RSF’s parallel government.
BBC Verify’s analysis of footage from el-Fasher has corroborated accounts of RSF soldiers executing unarmed civilians. Despite these findings, an RSF spokesman has denied further allegations of the group killing over 400 people at a hospital on Tuesday and has refuted claims that the violence is ethnically motivated.
Hemedti has since apologized for the tragedy in el-Fasher, acknowledging violations by his forces and confirming that an investigative committee has arrived in the city. However, past promises of investigations into similar alleged atrocities in el-Geneina in 2023 and in the state of Gezira have reportedly not been fulfilled.
The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed profound shock over reports that more than 460 civilians, including patients, were killed at el-Fasher’s Saudi Hospital, the last functioning medical facility in the area. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab appears to support these accounts.
Mohamad Faisal, a spokesperson for the Sudan Doctors Network, described the situation as “absolutely horrific,” with RSF soldiers reportedly killing both inpatients and outpatients. He noted that many colleagues are traumatized, with some managing to escape the city while others remain trapped.
Activists are also increasing calls for international pressure on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is widely accused of providing military support to the RSF, a charge the UAE denies despite UN evidence.
El-Fasher was the army’s final stronghold in western Darfur. Its capture by the RSF after a prolonged siege signifies a further geographic division within Sudan, with the RSF controlling western and southern regions, while the army holds the capital, Khartoum, and eastern areas.