Warning: This story contains graphic descriptions of executions.
Fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have executed a number of unarmed people after capturing the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, new videos analyzed by BBC Verify show. The RSF, engaged in a brutal conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), took control of a vital military base in El-Fasher over the weekend after an extended siege.
Multiple videos have surfaced depicting armed men, some with RSF patches, committing violent acts in the city. The United Nations’ Sudan coordinator indicated receiving credible reports of summary executions in El-Fasher during a recent interview.
The RSF denied targeting civilians, but the ongoing situation has drawn significant humanitarian concerns. The conflict in Sudan has led to over 150,000 deaths and displaced around 12 million individuals since its escalation in 2023, following the breakdown of a fragile ruling coalition between the SAF and RSF.
Denise Brown, the UN coordinator, noted that reports of unarmed men being executed intensified since RSF's entry into El-Fasher. Violent acts against unarmed civilians are categorized as war crimes under the Geneva Convention.
Analyzing the various clips, some were geolocated to key areas in El-Fasher, revealing disturbing incidents such as an unarmed man shot while surrounded by dead bodies. Other footage showed inmates executing captured individuals amidst cheering armed personnel. The documented acts have raised alarms regarding war crimes and the RSF's historical context of ethnic violence in Sudan.
Despite promises of accountability from the RSF for violations committed by their fighters, the urgency of international intervention grows as evidence mounts of further atrocities. Satellite imagery and video analysis report clusters of bodies and possible evidence of mass executions in El-Fasher, highlighting an emerging humanitarian crisis that requires immediate global attention.
Fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have executed a number of unarmed people after capturing the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, new videos analyzed by BBC Verify show. The RSF, engaged in a brutal conflict with the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), took control of a vital military base in El-Fasher over the weekend after an extended siege.
Multiple videos have surfaced depicting armed men, some with RSF patches, committing violent acts in the city. The United Nations’ Sudan coordinator indicated receiving credible reports of summary executions in El-Fasher during a recent interview.
The RSF denied targeting civilians, but the ongoing situation has drawn significant humanitarian concerns. The conflict in Sudan has led to over 150,000 deaths and displaced around 12 million individuals since its escalation in 2023, following the breakdown of a fragile ruling coalition between the SAF and RSF.
Denise Brown, the UN coordinator, noted that reports of unarmed men being executed intensified since RSF's entry into El-Fasher. Violent acts against unarmed civilians are categorized as war crimes under the Geneva Convention.
Analyzing the various clips, some were geolocated to key areas in El-Fasher, revealing disturbing incidents such as an unarmed man shot while surrounded by dead bodies. Other footage showed inmates executing captured individuals amidst cheering armed personnel. The documented acts have raised alarms regarding war crimes and the RSF's historical context of ethnic violence in Sudan.
Despite promises of accountability from the RSF for violations committed by their fighters, the urgency of international intervention grows as evidence mounts of further atrocities. Satellite imagery and video analysis report clusters of bodies and possible evidence of mass executions in El-Fasher, highlighting an emerging humanitarian crisis that requires immediate global attention.
