At least 14 civilians have been killed by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) while attempting to flee the besieged city of El-Fasher in Darfur, according to the rights group Emergency Lawyers. The attack occurred on Saturday in Qarni village, just days after the RSF administration urged residents to evacuate to the area, promising safe passage.
The victims were escaping the ongoing siege of El-Fasher, North Darfur’s capital, where an estimated one million people remain trapped amid fierce fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese army. The rights group also reported that dozens were injured in the attack and an unknown number were detained. The region remains under a communications blackout, making independent verification of the death toll difficult.
The RSF has besieged El-Fasher since May 2024 but has failed to capture the strategic city from army control. If it succeeds, the RSF would solidify control over the entire Darfur region and large parts of southern Sudan, deepening its grip on the country amid a war that began in April 2023.
The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese army has claimed tens of thousands of lives and caused what the United Nations describes as the world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis. In El-Fasher, families are now surviving on dwindling supplies of animal feed, with local authorities recently warning of a severe shortage.
Last week, RSF-appointed Darfur governor Al-Hadi Idris called on civilians to move to Qarni, assuring their safety under RSF and Tasis alliance protection. However, the massacre contradicts those assurances and highlights the dangers faced by civilians amid the violence. The RSF-aligned Tasis alliance recently declared a parallel government in Nyala, but it has not received international recognition, with the African Union urging its members not to endorse it.
The United Nations warns that displaced populations in surrounding areas like Tawila are now facing secondary disasters, including a severe cholera outbreak. Both warring factions stand accused of war crimes, but the RSF, in particular, has faced international condemnation for ethnically motivated attacks, village burnings, and systematic sexual violence in Darfur.
The humanitarian crisis continues to escalate as the world watches in silence.
