The British newspaper The Guardian published a shocking report on El Fasher, describing it as one of the worst humanitarian disasters in Sudan’s war history. It estimates that up to 150,000 residents are missing since the city fell to the Rapid Support Forces militia.
The report highlighted that recent satellite imagery revealed dozens of body piles in the streets of North Darfur’s capital, turning it into a “large-scale crime scene” and a “human slaughterhouse.”
Analysis suggests the bodies were gathered in heaps, likely for burial in mass graves or burning in large pits visible in the images. Although the final death toll remains unclear, British MPs were informed that at least 60,000 people were killed in El Fasher, while roughly 150,000 remain missing, with no evidence of evacuation.
Satellite analysis by Yale University’s monitoring team indicates that markets were completely emptied, livestock moved outside the city, and local sources reported limited arrests, failing to account for the disappearance of tens of thousands.
Despite previous RSF promises, the city remains closed to the UN and humanitarian organizations, with relief convoys stalled nearby due to security concerns.
Those who managed to escape face severe malnutrition, leading international experts to declare El Fasher a region experiencing actual famine. Human rights experts warn that the atrocities in El Fasher may constitute the worst war crimes in the Sudanese conflict, which has claimed up to 400,000 lives over 32 months and displaced around 13 million people.
