CAIRO (AP) — In the wake of Sudan's paramilitary forces seizing control of El-Fasher city in the western Darfur region, there are growing concerns over the fate of tens of thousands of civilians still trapped amid reports of horrific atrocities. Only a few thousand displaced Sudanese have reached the nearest camp in Tawila, located 65 kilometers (40 miles) away, according to Shashwat Saraf, the Sudan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which manages the camp. This has heightened fears for those remaining in El-Fasher, as survival is increasingly untenable.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took over El-Fasher last week, following an 18-month siege against the rival Sudanese army. Eyewitness accounts describe a series of brutal attacks against civilians, including killings, sexual assaults, and beatings. The World Health Organization has reported at least 460 fatalities from violence in local hospitals since the RSF's takeover. Although tens of thousands are believed to have fled El-Fasher, less than 6,000 individuals have managed to reach safety in Tawila, with Saraf mentioning that only around 1,000 people arrived at the camp over the last three days.
Survivors recount harrowing escapes, often under the threat of gunfire. Saraf noted that those arriving at the camp typically display signs of trauma, dehydration, and confusion. Many are disoriented upon arrival, with some even requiring hospitalization and intravenous fluids. Among the displaced are approximately 170 unaccompanied children, including toddlers as young as three, who have traveled without knowledge of their family's whereabouts, often accompanied by older children or non-relatives.
In a news conference in Cairo, Sudan's ambassador to Egypt, Imadeldin Mustafa Adawi, condemned the RSF for committing war crimes in El-Fasher. He reiterated the Sudanese government's refusal to engage with the RSF, calling on the international community to classify the group as a terrorist organization. Adawi also accused the United Arab Emirates of providing arms to the RSF, urging Gulf states to refrain from mediating the conflict. In contrast, the UAE has denied these accusations, despite evidence presented to the contrary.
During the Manama Dialogue security summit in Bahrain, senior UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash was asked about his nation’s support for the RSF but did not provide a direct answer. He criticized the international community for supporting both RSF commander Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo and Sudanese military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan after the latter led a coup in 2021 against a civilian government. Gargash advocated for a three-month humanitarian ceasefire and the subsequent formation of a civilian transitional government within nine months.
The RSF's military campaign poses a looming threat to central Sudan, following their consolidation of power in Darfur. The Sudan Doctor Network reported that 12 individuals, including at least five children, were killed in recent RSF attacks on two camps sheltering displaced people in the central Kordofan region.
