‘Horrific violations’: Arab nations slam RSF killings in Sudan’s el-Fasher

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Turkiye and Jordan have condemned the abuses committed by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during their capture of the city of el-Fasher in Sudan, as more evidence emerged of mass killings in the strategic area.

The denunciations on Tuesday came as researchers at Yale University said satellite imagery of el-Fasher, taken after the RSF moved in, shows clusters of objects consistent with the size of human bodies, as well as large areas of red discolouration on the ground.

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The RSF has been locked in a bloody civil war with Sudan’s army since 2023, in a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 12 million people.

The paramilitary force overran el-Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, on Sunday after 17 months of siege.

The Sudanese government said that at least 2,000 people have been killed in the city since then, while aid agencies say they have received credible reports of atrocities, including summary executions, attacks on civilians along escape routes and house-to-house raids.

Sexual violence, particularly against women and girls, was also reported in the city, they said.

El-Fasher’s fall puts the RSF in near full control of the vast region of Darfur and has raised concerns of another split of Sudan, more than a decade after South Sudan’s creation.

Regional alarm

The developments have alarmed regional governments.

Saudi Arabia, in a statement on Tuesday, expressed “deep concern and condemnation of the grave human rights violations” and called on the RSF to fulfil their responsibility to protect Sudanese civilians.

Egypt, which shares a border with Sudan, called for all “possible measures to be taken to achieve an immediate humanitarian truce across Sudan”, while also reaffirming its continued commitment to “providing all possible support to help” the neighbouring country overcome its current crisis.

Turkiye called for the immediate cessation of hostilities in el-Fasher, while also urging “safe passage, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and an end to attacks on innocent civilians”, according to the Anadolu news agency.

It also condemned the “atrocities committed against civilians in el-Fasher” and “highlighted the importance of dialogue to find a peaceful solution to the conflict”.

Qatar, too, condemned the “horrific violations” in el-Fasher and called for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Egypt, Turkiye and Qatar all reiterated their “firm support for the unity, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Sudan”, with Cairo saying it rejected “any attempts to divide the country or undermine its unity and territorial cohesion”.

Jordan joined the chorus of concern, saying in a statement that it condemned the violations against civilians and stressed the “urgent need to exercise restraint and implement a ceasefire to safeguard civilian lives”.

The RSF has not addressed the allegations against it.

The paramilitary force grew out of the notorious government-backed/linked militia known as the Janjaweed, which carried out genocide during the Darfur conflict in the 2000s. The US has declared that the RSF and its allies have committed genocide in the current war.

In comments in Malaysia on Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the fall of el-Fasher marked a “terrible escalation” in the war and called for a cessation of foreign military support to the warring parties.

“The problem is not only the fighting between the army and the Rapid Support Forces, but also the growing external interference that undermines prospects for a ceasefire and a political solution,” he was quoted as saying by a UN spokesman.

Guterres did not name a specific country, but the Sudanese government and rights groups have repeatedly accused the United Arab Emirates of being involved in the war by supplying the RSF with weapons, a claim the Gulf country has denied.

Unprecedented violence

Separately on Tuesday, the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Research Lab published a report relying on satellite imagery that said that RSF forces were “conducting alleged mass killings” after seizing el-Fasher.

Using imagery from Airbus taken on Monday, the lab pointed out a series of scenes in el-Fasher’s Daraja Oula neighbourhood.

They included what appeared to be gun-mounted trucks, known as “technicals”, in the streets in formations that appeared like roadblocks.

“Imagery analysis shows objects consistent with the size of human bodies on the ground near RSF vehicles, including at least five instances of reddish earth discoloration,” the report said.

Nathaniel Raymond, the executive director of Yale’s Humanitarian Research Lab, described the violence in el-Fasher as unprecedented.

“The scale is immense, from the earthen berm, the wall that now surrounds el-Fasher, to specific neighbourhoods, such as Daraja Oula, to hospitals and humanitarian facilities. We are seeing objects that measure between 1.5 to 2 metres [5 to 6.5 feet], which is the standard length of a human body, lying horizontal, as seen in satellite imagery at high resolution,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Those objects were not there 36 to 48 hours ago. They now litter the city.”

Raymond said the atrocities did not come as a surprise.

“This campaign of mass killing that we are seeing now in el-Fasher has been warned about in excruciating detail by both the Humanitarian Research Lab and many other colleague organisations, especially the local response community, in Darfur for months,” he said.

The researcher warned that the killings were a preview of what could happen in other areas of Darfur and the North Kordofan province as RSF forces move to the east of the country with the fall of el-Fasher.

The Humanitarian Research Lab, in its report, added that the actions of the RSF “may be consistent with war crimes and crimes against humanity (CAH) and may rise to the level of genocide”.

“The world must act immediately to put the maximum amount of pressure on the RSF and its backers, specifically the UAE, to end the killing now,” it added.