00:00In Sudan's western region of Darfur, a city once known for its vibrant markets and rich
00:05cultural diversity has now become the epicenter of unimaginable violence.
00:10Recent reports emerging from El Fashar, the regional capital of North Darfur, suggest
00:16that what is unfolding there may be one of the worst episodes of ethnically targeted
00:21killings in Sudan's modern history.
00:24Over the weekend, the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group, seized
00:29full control of the city after months of siege.
00:34What followed, according to multiple independent monitors, humanitarian agencies and satellite
00:39analysis, were reports of mass executions, forced displacement and systematic ethnic cleansing
00:47targeting non-Arab communities, specifically the Fir, Zaghawa and Berti peoples.
00:59The RSF, which has been fighting a devastating civil war against Sudan's national army since
01:06April 2023, announced on Sunday that it had captured the army's main base in El Fashar.
01:13By Monday, General Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, Sudan's army chief, acknowledged that his forces had
01:19withdrawn to a safer location, effectively conceding defeat in the last major city the army controlled
01:26in Darfur. This victory gives the RSF control over all five state capitals in Darfur – Niala,
01:34El Ganena, Zalingay, Ed Dain and now El Fashar – marking a decisive moment in the 18-month conflict
01:42that has already claimed the lives of over 150,000 people and displaced more than 14 million across Sudan.
01:50According to UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, nearly half of Sudan's population
01:57now requires humanitarian assistance, making it one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today.
02:04Soon after the RSF takeover, disturbing footage began to circulate on social media. Local activists released
02:11a video appearing to show a well-known RSF fighter shooting a group of unarmed civilians at close range.
02:18Other unverified videos shared by pro-democracy networks appear to show dozens of bodies lying
02:25among burnt vehicles and destroyed buildings, providing chilling visual evidence of systematic
02:31violence. The joint forces, an alliance of local armed groups supporting the Sudanese army,
02:38accused the RSF of executing over 2,000 civilians in recent days, describing the killings as deliberate
02:44and ethnically targeted. Independent experts have also corroborated signs of mass killings.
02:51Analysts at Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, who have monitored the Sudan war using open-source
02:57intelligence and high-resolution satellite imagery, reported patterns consistent with mass graves, clearance operations,
03:05and widespread destruction of civilian areas. They concluded that the RSF appeared to be conducting
03:12a systematic and intentional campaign of ethnic cleansing against non-Arab populations in the region.
03:20Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of the Yale Lab, stated that satellite imagery showed
03:26numerous human bodies visible on the ground and areas of dark discoloration, likely pools of blood
03:33or burned soil, suggesting widespread killing. He compared the level of brutality in El Fasha
03:39to what occurred during the first 24 hours of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, emphasizing that this might only be
03:45the beginning of a far larger wave of violence. He also stated that his team had never observed a comparable
03:57level of concentrated violence in such a short period since their monitoring of global conflicts began.
04:04Since the RSF's full control of the city, El Fasha has gone dark. According to the Sudanese journalist's syndicate,
04:12all communications, including phone lines, internet access, and even satellite connections, have been severed,
04:21effectively isolating the city. This communications blackout has made independent verification extremely difficult.
04:29International news outlets have been unable to reach residents, relying instead on fragmented accounts
04:36from aid workers, refugees, and social media footage posted before networks went offline.
04:43Human rights observers noted that the patterns now emerging from El Fasha mirror earlier atrocities committed by the RSF
04:52in West Darfur's capital, El Jenaena, in 2023. In that attack, up to 15,000 civilians, mostly non-Arab ethnic groups,
05:03were massacred following the city's capture. According to the United Nations and multiple relief organizations,
05:09the humanitarian situation in El Fasha is catastrophic. Before the latest assault, roughly 260,000 civilians,
05:18including over 130,000 children, were trapped inside the city, which had already endured an 18-month siege by RSF forces.
05:28The International Organization for Migration reported that 26,000 people fled El Fasha within the first two days of the assault,
05:38heading toward nearby towns such as Tawila, approximately 70 kilometers away.
05:44However, even those towns are already overwhelmed with displaced families.
05:50The accounts echo what investigators documented during the 2003-2005 Darfur conflict, when government-backed militias known as the Janjaweed,
06:02the predecessors of today's RSF, were accused of committing genocide, mass rape, and forced displacement
06:09that killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced more than 2.5 million.
06:14The fall of El Fasha signifies far more than a localized defeat for the Sudanese army.
06:20It marks a geopolitical turning point in Sudan's civil war.
06:24With full control over Darfur, the RSF now dominates one-third of Sudan's total land area,
06:31including vital trade corridors that connect Western Sudan with Chad, Libya, and the Central African Republic.
06:38Analysts warn that this territorial dominance could push Sudan toward de facto partition,
06:45with the Sudanese armed forces holding the north and east, including the capital Khartoum,
06:50while the RSF entrenches itself in the west.
06:53This division could mirror past conflicts such as South Sudan's secession in 2011,
07:00which followed decades of civil war and left deep political and ethnic scars.
07:05Experts fear that a fractured Sudan could become a haven for armed groups,
07:10regional proxy conflicts, and cross-border instability affecting the entire Horn of Africa.
07:16The UN Human Rights Office confirmed that it had received multiple credible reports
07:21of ethnically-motivated killings, executions, and other atrocities in El Fasha.
07:26UN writes, Chief Volker Turk stated that Sudan appeared to be entering a phase of mass violence
07:35not seen since the early 2000s genocide in Darfur.
07:39Despite these warnings, international intervention remains limited.
07:43Aid convoys have been blocked, humanitarian access is severely restricted,
07:49and global media coverage has been minimal.
07:52The African Union and Arab League have both issued statements calling for restraint,
07:58but no significant peacekeeping deployment has yet been authorized.
08:02Meanwhile, U.S. and European Union officials have urged sanctions and investigations into RSF leaders,
08:10including Mohamed Hamdan Dagallo, known as Hemedti, who commands the group.
08:15But diplomatic pressure alone has so far failed to halt the violence.
08:19What is happening in El Fasha is more than a battle for territory.
08:23It is a battle for survival and identity.
08:26Behind every statistic are families torn apart, children displaced, and communities erased.
08:33The civilians of El Fasha are enduring conditions that echo the darkest chapters of human history.
08:40As the RSF tightens its grip on Darfur, the world now faces a moral test.
08:47The choice is stark, to act while the atrocities unfold,
08:51or to remain silent and confront the truth only after it becomes another chapter
08:56in the long list of tragedies that humanity failed to prevent.
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