The medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has expressed grave concern over the fate of hundreds of thousands of civilians who fled the Sudanese city of El-Fasher following its seizure by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in late October 2025.
The warning comes as Yale University researchers, analyzing satellite imagery, released a report suggesting evidence of body disposal activities consistent with mass graves being dug in and around the city. MSF and UN officials report ethnically targeted violence including executions, sexual violence, and torture, by the RSF against civilians.
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, was the last major stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the Darfur region. Its fall to the RSF on October 26, 2025, after an 18-month siege, gives the paramilitary group control over all five state capitals in Darfur.
The violence reported is deeply rooted in ethnic conflict, echoing the patterns of atrocities committed by the RSF’s predecessor militia (the Janjaweed) in the early 2000s. Survivors have recounted harrowing stories of being targeted based on their ethnicity, including non-Arab ethnic groups such as the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa.
The destruction of civilian infrastructure, particularly healthcare facilities, has compounded the crisis. The World Health Organisation previously reported the tragic killing of more than 460 patients and medical staff at the Al-Saudi Hospital during the takeover. The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, has warned that those who remain trapped in El-Fasher are being prevented from leaving.
Newly elected MSF president Javid Abdelmoneim stressed the main concern of the organization about the scale of the displacement and the specific nature of the violence;
Our main concern is that though we have seen approximately 5,000 people coming out of El-Fasher towards Tawila, we don’t know where the other hundreds of thousands have gone… That is worrying given the ethnic nature of targeting of violence towards civilians by the RSF
The Yale HRL report details the grim findings from the satellite data, which corroborate eyewitness testimony and videos posted by the RSF themselves:
At least two earth disturbances consistent with mass graves at a mosque and the former Children’s Hospital
They acknowledged the disappearance of clusters of objects consistent with bodies, suggesting their removal or disposal.
Adding to the regional crisis, the conflict has intensified and spread to the Kordofan region, where a medical source reported the RSF shelled a hospital in besieged Dilling, killing five and injuring five more.
The UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Turk, issued a warning about the escalating violence, stating that civilians remain trapped inside El-Fasher and are being prevented from leaving.
