(Mohsin Tanveer)
El Fasher, the historic capital of North Darfur and a city of over 250,000 souls, was once a vibrant crossroads of trade and culture in western Sudan. By late October 2025, after an excruciating 18-month siege, it became a graveyard. On October 26-27, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF)—descendants of the Janjaweed militias infamous for the 2003 Darfur genocide—overran the city, forcing the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) to withdraw. What unfolded was not mere conquest but a deliberate campaign of ethnic cleansing: mass executions, widespread rape, and the systematic targeting of non-Arab communities, particularly the Masalit, Zaghawa, and Fur ethnic groups.
Satellite imagery from Maxar and Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab paints a horrifying picture visible from space: bloodstains pooling around homes, clusters of bodies near RSF vehicles, and the charred remains of hospitals. Videos filmed by RSF fighters themselves—geolocated and verified—show unarmed men forced to lie face-down before being shot in the back, civilians gunned down on escape routes, and families crushed under armored vehicles. Survivors fleeing to Tawila, 50 kilometers away, recount house-to-house raids where non-Arab men were separated, accused of SAF affiliations, and executed on the spot. Women and girls faced systematic sexual violence, with RSF commanders reportedly boasting of “cleansing lineages” through rape.
Hospitals, meant to be sanctuaries, turned into slaughterhouses. At Al-Saudi Maternity Hospital and El Fasher University’s medical facilities, patients—wounded, elderly, even children—were shot in their beds. The Sudan Doctors Network documented over 1,500 deaths in three days, labeling it a “true genocide.” Aid workers were not spared: five Sudanese Red Crescent volunteers were killed while distributing supplies, and others abducted for ransoms up to $50,000. Over 62,000 fled, but tens of thousands remain trapped or missing amid a total communications blackout.
The siege had already engineered famine. RSF blockades starved residents, with Zamzam camp—once sheltering hundreds of thousands—declared in famine in August 2024. Post-capture, the UN warned of “mounting risks of large-scale, ethnically targeted atrocities,” echoing the 2003 horrors that killed 300,000. Activists like Mohamed Khamis Douda, spokesperson for Zamzam, were hunted and killed for documenting abuses.
Roots of the Conflict: A Power Struggle Turned Proxy War
Sudan’s war erupted in April 2023 from a rift between SAF leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, once allies in the 2019 ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir. What began as a Khartoum power grab spiraled into nationwide carnage, killing over 150,000, displacing 12 million—the world’s largest crisis—and plunging 25 million into acute hunger.
Darfur, site of the 2003 genocide, reignited old flames. The RSF, Arab-dominated and rooted in Janjaweed militias, targets non-Arab groups with impunity. El Fasher was the SAF’s last Darfur bastion; its fall hands the RSF all five state capitals, potentially bisecting Sudan east-west.
This isn’t just internal strife—it’s a proxy-fueled inferno, with foreign powers arming both sides to advance geopolitical, security, and economic agendas. Egypt, Turkey, and Iran provide military support—primarily drones, weapons, training, and intelligence—to the SAF, helping it regain ground like parts of Khartoum. In contrast, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) overwhelmingly backs the RSF with arms, drones, and logistics, often routed through Chad or disguised as humanitarian aid.
Egypt’s Role: Cairo views a stable, military-led Sudan under al-Burhan as vital for border security along their 1,200-km frontier, fearing RSF victory could spark refugee surges (Egypt already hosts millions) and instability on its southern flank. Deep historical ties—shared under British-Egyptian rule—and alignment with Egypt’s own army-dominated governance under President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi drive this support. Crucially, Egypt relies on the Nile for 95% of its water; a pro-RSF Sudan might ally with Ethiopia (amid GERD dam disputes), threatening diversions. Egypt supplies drones, pilot training, intelligence, and even special forces, countering UAE rivalry.
Turkey’s Involvement: Ankara bolsters the SAF to expand Red Sea influence and rival UAE dominance in the Horn of Africa. It provides Bayraktar TB2 drones, missiles, and training, shifting air superiority and enabling SAF advances. Motivations include Ottoman-era ties, ideological opposition to UAE-backed forces, drone export revenue, and Port Sudan access for trade. Turkey mediates talks but prioritizes SAF in proxy clashes echoing Libya.
Iran’s Support: Tehran resumed ties in 2023, supplying Mohajer-6 and Ababil drones, munitions, and intelligence—key for SAF recaptures in Omdurman and Khartoum. Iran seeks a Red Sea naval base to aid Yemen’s Houthis, evade sanctions, and smuggle arms (Sudan was a former Gaza conduit). This counters UAE/Saudi influence and aligns with SAF’s Islamist remnants, while boosting Iran’s drone market.
The UAE’s RSF Backing: Abu Dhabi arms the RSF via covert flights and Chad hubs, supplying Chinese drones and ammo for gold from RSF mines (billions smuggled yearly). It sees Hemedti as a partner for ports, agriculture, and countering SAF Islamists, securing Red Sea routes despite genocide accusations and denials. Evidence includes UAE-made vehicles, British components, and smuggled weapons breaching UN embargoes.
Echoes of History: A Genocide Foretold
Warnings were deafening. For 500 days, RSF shelled markets, drone-struck shelters, and blockaded aid. In April 2025, RSF massacred hundreds in Zamzam. UN experts predicted “Srebrenica-level” atrocities if El Fasher fell. Yet, mediators like the U.S., Saudi Arabia, and AU failed; a Quad roadmap for ceasefire collapsed.
RSF “special units” now hunt civilians door-to-door, per the Wall Street Journal. Videos show executions in hospitals, bodies crushed by vehicles. One survivor: “They separated us by ethnicity… non-Arabs were shot.”
Global Indifference: A Tolerated Tragedy
UN Chief António Guterres decried external interference; Volker Türk demanded civilian protection. China condemned civilian violence; Pope Leo XIV called for corridors. Yet aid funding lags at 27%, arms flow unchecked.
Bishop Christian Carlassare called it a “forgotten war” profiting arms dealers while stealing Sudanese resources. X posts amplify pleas: #The_UAE_is_committing_genocide_in_Sudan trends with survivor testimonies.
El Fasher’s bloodstained sands demand action: enforce embargoes, sanction backers like the UAE, probe ICC crimes. Halt foreign arms, open aid routes, pursue justice. As one activist warned: “The world is watching… but doing nothing.” Sudan’s people deserve more than tolerance—they deserve peace.
