MSF calls on warring Sudan parties to 'spare the civilians'

Violence in city in Darfur follows a pattern of ethnic attacks by RSF against civilians, says medical charity

Civilians who fled El Fasher, in western Sudan, gather in a camp in Tawila, 60km from the city. AP Photo

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has decried the dire humanitarian crisis in Sudan, calling on warring parties to spare civilians amid a "peak of violence" after the takeover of El Fasher, a city in Sudan’s western Darfur region, by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

“What we are seeing today in El Fasher is a clear massacre,” Michel-Olivier Lacharite, head of emergency operations for the charity, told The National.

He said testimonies from civilians who fled the city last week to Tawila, a town 60km away where the medical charity runs a hospital, told of mass killings, torture, rape and extortion by the RSF, who seized control of El Fasher from Sudan's armed forces.

Another major concern, he added, is how few people are managing to flee the city and reach nearby towns safely.

“Our teams are shocked,” said Mr Lacharite. “We're really concerned why there are not more people reaching safety,” he said. “We don't know what will happen to the population.”

The RSF has been locked in a bloody civil war with Sudan’s army since 2023, following a military coup that overthrew the civilian transitional government. The conflict has killed tens of thousands and displaced at least 13 million people. Both warring parties have been accused of committing war crimes against civilians.

The paramilitary group overran El Fasher, the army's last stronghold in Darfur, on Sunday after 17 months of siege that resulted in famine and starvation. Videos emerging since the takeover have shown alleged RSF troops committing extreme acts of violence against unarmed civilians attempting to flee. The RSF commander acknowledged abuses had been committed in a social media post three days ago.

A satellite image of a tank barrier under construction around Kinin Village near El Fasher. The RSF overran El Fasher, the army's last stronghold in Darfur, on Sunday. AFP

Testimonies by survivors corroborate video evidence of mass atrocities and unveil a pattern of violence by the RSF, said Mr Lacharite.

“People fleeing are being beaten and shot on the road by the RSF, and we know that women are raped on their way to Tawila,” he told The National. “It's a pattern that we have alerted on for months, but now we're seeing a peak of violence with the capture of El Fasher.”

In a report published in July, MSF warned of systematic patterns of “ethnically-motivated violence” committed by the RSF and its allies against civilians in and around El Fasher. This included looting, mass killings, sexual violence, abductions, starvation and attacks against markets, health facilities and other civilian infrastructure, the report found.

“In light of the recent ethnic violence and massacres perpetrated in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, MSF fears such a scenario will be repeated in El Fasher – notably because witnesses report that RSF soldiers spoke of plans to ‘clean El Fasher’ of its non-Arab, and especially Zaghawa, community,” the report warned in July.

These fears are becoming reality as people in El Fasher are “being targeted and killed in a campaign of ethnic violence”, said Mr Lacharite.

The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) has also been accused of targeting ethnic groups it sees as support bases for the RSF in areas it has recaptured. In its report, MSF said both warring parties have consistently and indiscriminately bombed areas where civilians live, including targeting food markets and health facilities supported by the medical charity.

Gen Mohamed Dagalo, commander of the paramilitary group, acknowledged on Wednesday that his men committed “abuses” against civilians in the Darfur city, and promised to bring those responsible to justice.

“I see that there have been abuses in El Fasher. I announce the formation of an investigation commission. This is not just talk,” he said in a broadcast. “It will immediately investigate and bring to justice any soldier or officer found to have committed a crime or abused anyone.”

The acts of violence in El Fasher are not isolated instances, said Mr Lacharite. “This is not one black sheep amongst the other ones, this is a system and a pattern,” he told The National.

MSF is calling on the RSF to “spare civilians and allow them to flee wherever they want safely”, he said.

“The priority now is an urgent ceasefire,” Mr Lacharite told The National.

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned the RSF assault on El Fasher, warning of a “heightened risk of large-scale atrocities, including ethnically motivated atrocities”.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher criticised the council for not acting sooner and said that El Fasher, already ravaged by catastrophic levels of human suffering, has “descended into an even darker hell”.

The UAE also condemned the attacks carried out against civilians, saying both the RSF and SAF cannot lead the country.