By Lara Kajs
Dispatches from the Field—The Genocide Report
Washington, DC — 11 November 2025
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur in western Sudan, endured an 18-month siege that turned the city into one of the most acute flashpoints in the ongoing conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). RSF forces encircled the city with earthen fortifications, cutting off supply routes, blocking humanitarian access, and isolating the population from the outside world.
The situation deteriorated further when SAF-aligned forces withdrew, effectively ceding control of the city to the RSF. With the fall of El-Fasher, the RSF now controls all five states of Darfur. This shift raises the specter of territorial fragmentation, with the RSF dominating western Sudan while SAF-aligned forces consolidate control in the east. Such a division would significantly complicate prospects for national unity and civilian protection.
El-Fasher had long served as a refuge for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from earlier waves of violence. The broader conflict has now displaced more than 13 million people. The city’s collapse, therefore, represents not only a military turning point but a humanitarian catastrophe with far-reaching implications.
Mass Displacement and Civilian Impact
In August 2025, UNICEF estimated that approximately 600,000 people—half of them children—had been displaced from El-Fasher and surrounding areas. At the time of the city’s fall, roughly 260,000 civilians remained, including an estimated 130,000 children.
Accounts from survivors underscore the severity of the crisis. Fewer than 6,000 people reportedly reached the nearest refugee camp, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council. Those who survived the 40-mile journey described torture, beatings, and witnessing executions along the way. The fate of those who remained in the city is largely unknown.
Satellite analysis conducted by the Humanitarian Research Lab at Yale School of Public Health identified patterns consistent with mass casualties, including clusters resembling human remains and ground discoloration indicative of large-scale loss of life.
Ethnic Violence and Atrocity Patterns
The violence in El-Fasher reflects deeply rooted patterns of ethnic targeting. The RSF, composed largely of Arab militias, has been accused of systematically targeting non-Arab communities through forced displacement, summary executions, and widespread terror tactics.
Reports and visual evidence indicate that civilians attempting to flee have been attacked, including accounts of aerial bombardment in desert escape routes. Men and boys are reportedly separated from women and girls and executed, while women and girls have been subjected to abduction and sexual violence. Children have been forcibly recruited into armed groups.
According to UNICEF, more than 1,100 grave violations against children have been verified since April 2024. These include killings, maiming, rape, abduction, and forced recruitment. The scale and nature of these violations point to patterns consistent with previous atrocities in Darfur.
Humanitarian Collapse and International Concern
Humanitarian conditions in El-Fasher have deteriorated to catastrophic levels. Severe acute malnutrition among children has surged as the siege has prevented the delivery of food and medical supplies. Civilians have resorted to consuming animal feed and food waste to survive, while disease outbreaks, including cholera, have further compounded the crisis.
Healthcare infrastructure has been systematically degraded. The Saudi Maternal Teaching Hospital, the last functioning medical facility in the city, was reportedly attacked, with the World Health Organization indicating that hundreds of civilians were killed.
Human rights organizations, including the Darfur Network for Human Rights, have documented widespread abuses, including summary executions, abductions, forced recruitment, and the use of civilians as human shields. Reports also indicate indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, hospitals, schools, and displacement camps.
Aid organizations such as Save the Children and Doctors Without Borders have described conditions among displaced populations as dire, with some reporting that all children under five in certain areas are suffering from malnutrition. Survivors, particularly children, are experiencing profound psychological trauma after witnessing violence, losing family members, or becoming separated from loved ones.
Regional bodies, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, have characterized the siege conditions as collective punishment and warned that the patterns of abuse may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.
El-Fasher is not simply another battleground; it represents one of the most urgent humanitarian crises in the world today. The convergence of siege warfare, famine, displacement, disease, and ethnically targeted violence raises serious concerns under international humanitarian and criminal law. Without immediate attention and intervention, the human toll is likely to deepen, with long-term consequences for both Sudan and the broader region.
Photo credit: Daraja Oula, El-Fasher, 27 October 2025. Clusters of objects and ground discoloration. 13.6329010, 25.3271401 By Yale School of Public Health: Humanitarian Research Lab
Imagery collected over the Daraja Oula neighborhood in El-Fasher on 27 October 2025, shows the presence of clusters of objects, ground discoloration, and light technical vehicles. The objects within these clusters measure between 1.5 meters and 2 meters in length. A group of light technical vehicles appears to be blocking the road near where there appears to be red discoloration on the ground. One cluster of objects is flanked by 3 light technical vehicles.
Atrocity Prevention Lens
The fall of El-Fasher and the 18-month siege have placed civilian populations at extreme risk. Prolonged siege warfare, restricted access to food and medical care, and targeted attacks on residential areas and displaced persons camps create conditions that heighten the potential for mass atrocities. Analysts in atrocity prevention would view the combination of ethnic targeting, systematic violence, and humanitarian collapse as key warning indicators. Immediate intervention, monitoring of civilian protection, and enforcement of humanitarian access are essential to preventing further harm and potential large-scale atrocities.
Legal Framework
Prohibition on the Use of Force
Under Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter, states are prohibited from using force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state except in narrowly defined circumstances. Non-state actors conducting armed operations in Sudan may also be subject to international humanitarian law standards.
Protection of Civilians
International humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, requires parties to distinguish between civilian and military targets, prohibit attacks expected to cause disproportionate civilian harm, and ensure humanitarian access to populations in need. Siege warfare and targeting of essential infrastructure raise serious legal concerns under these principles.
Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes
Acts such as widespread killings, forced displacement, sexual violence, and recruitment of children may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity. These are prosecutable under international law, including through mechanisms such as universal jurisdiction or ICC referral, where jurisdictional hurdles allow.
Accountability and International Obligations
States and international bodies have obligations to prevent mass atrocities and to hold perpetrators accountable. Failure to intervene in cases of systematic targeting or collective punishment can implicate responsible parties under international legal norms.
About TGR
The Genocide Report (TGR) publishes analysis and educational resources on conflict, international law, and atrocity prevention. Its work seeks to bridge academic research, field realities, and public understanding of mass violence and civilian protection.
Lara Kajs is the founder and executive director of The Genocide Report, a Washington, DC-based educational nonprofit focused on atrocity prevention and international law. She is the author of several field-based books on conflict, displacement, humanitarian crises, and international humanitarian law, drawing on extensive research and field experience in Yemen, Syria, and Afghanistan. Her writing and public speaking focus on atrocity crimes, forced displacement, the protection of civilians, and the legal frameworks governing armed conflict.