(Names have been changed due to safety concerns and the testimonies edited for clarity)
MAY 24, 2024 – The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have entered Abu Shouk IDP camp in northeastern El Fasher, the last city in Darfur outside RSF control, and appears to be systematically targeting the hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the city, in the latest phase of its campaign of ethnic cleansing across Darfur.
The latest report by Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) verified satellite images showing evidence of significant artillery damage and fires in the camp consistent with reports of fighting between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Avaaz received reports today that the RSF has beaten, tortured, and extrajudicially detained civilians and looted their belongings in Abu Shouk camp.
Avaaz spoke to 'Ahmed', who is in the city of El Fasher. He said Wednesday 22nd May “was one of the toughest days we have ever witnessed [in Darfur]. The city was attacked at 6am and [was] continuous until 4pm… My mind is confused… I don’t know where to start. We woke up amidst gun shots, the RSF attacked from the northern side of El Fasher which is Abu Shouk IDP camp, all kinds of weapons were used, it was extremely tough, with many casualties, displacement, looting, and houses destroyed."
Speaking from Abu Shouk camp, 'Khalid' recounted how “This is really a tragedy. From last week until today there has been a lot of fighting in El Fasher, in particular in Abu Shouk camp. You know the situation was very tough when the RSF attacked the city from the north side, very close to Abu Shouk Camp.
“And then the Sudan Armed Forces are controlling the southern side of the camp. When the RSF tried to get into the city through the camp, there was very tough fighting and the camp was in the middle between the two sides of fighting. So that's why there have been a lot of casualties, so many people have been killed, so many of them have been injured, and there has been large scale of displacement.
“Civilians actually don’t know where to go. You see, people are going everywhere, some of them are coming from north, some of them are going to the south. The situation is really out of control. So many houses have been destroyed, specifically those who live in the far north of the camp. Now they have been displaced to other sides of the camp, in particular the western side of the camp which is somehow safer than other parts. And during the day you see women carrying their belongings, going everywhere, all directions, people are just fleeing everywhere. Fear is controlling everyone here in this camp, because the fighting is really getting to the highest level. Even today we have many people killed."
Ahmed underscored that “The most dangerous things here in El Fasher are that most of the hospitals are out of service. There is only one hospital receiving the injured civilians and also all the markets are closed. There is only one market in service and people are deeply scared to go there because bombs are falling everyday.”
Khalid experienced this himself yesterday when: “In my area there are two people who have been killed. One hour ago, I was in a graveyard to bury them but we didn’t bury them because they [the RSF] shoots us, so we didn’t bury them. So it is really… I don’t know but it is really tough…”
The Next Phase
Yale HRL reports that the RSF is now confirmed to be advancing from the north, east, and southeast into densely populated neighbourhoods of El Fasher. HRL also warns of a possible attack from the western flank. We are no longer considering if El Fasher falls - it is a question of when, and this could be as early as a few days to weeks.
“If it continues for I guess one month, most people will die because of [a lack of] water, food, and the security instability. Most people who have died now are not being buried. This is what is happening, this is what is going on in El Fasher," Khalid said.
With the RSF in control of most roads around El Fasher, civilians have nowhere to flee. Sudanese and international civil society have been calling for urgent humanitarian assistance for months, yet no UN aid is getting through to North Darfur, and little to the wider Darfur region. Famine has arrived, ethnic cleansing has returned. Without ambitious, immediate action from the international community, the world will sit by and let yet another genocide unfurl before its eyes.
International developments
Footage & Images
Latest Stats
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) is building an earthen wall around El Fasher to create a “kill box” and prevent civilians fleeing the besieged city, satellite imagery suggests.
People caught trying to smuggle food into the besieged city of El Fasher are being “executed on sight” by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), according to one civilian.
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