At least 2,000 people have been killed in three days of attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the Sudanese city of Al-Fashir.
According to the media reports, RSF fighters targeted civilians trying to flee the city amid heavy clashes with the Sudanese army, describing the situation as a “real genocide.”
The Sudanese Doctors Network said the killings were a continuation of the violence that erupted a year and a half ago in Al-Fashir, when over 14,000 civilians died due to bombings, starvation, and extrajudicial executions.
The statement came after Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab released a report confirming evidence of mass killings in the area.
The RSF captured Al-Fashir on Sunday after a 17-month siege, taking control of the Sudanese army’s last major stronghold in Darfur. Sudan’s government said at least 2,000 people have died in the city, while aid organizations reported verified accounts of severe abuses, including executions, attacks on fleeing civilians, and house-to-house killings.
Reports also indicate widespread sexual violence against women and girls.
With the fall of Al-Fashir, the RSF now controls nearly all of Darfur, raising fears of Sudan’s potential re-division after more than a decade.
Government officials supporting the Sudanese army accused the RSF of targeting civilians sheltering in mosques during its assault. Sudan’s humanitarian affairs officer, Mona Nour Al-Daem, said over 2,000 civilians were killed in the attack, including Red Crescent volunteers and worshippers.
RSF fighters posted videos on social media showing gunmen shooting at civilians trying to escape.
In one of the most disturbing videos, RSF soldiers were seen inside Al-Fashir’s Saudi Hospital, executing patients. Survivors said at least 500 people had taken refuge inside the facility. Medical staff were also among those killed.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that more than 460 people were killed inside the Saudi Maternity Hospital. He said the WHO was “deeply shocked and horrified” by the reports.
The Sudanese Doctors Network said RSF fighters “brutally killed everyone inside the Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and staff.”