Darfur's Unheeded Cries: After El-Fasher, We Must Refuse a 'New Normal' of Mass Atrocities

The Silence That Fueled Massacres in Sudan

The initial massacres at the onset of Sudan's conflict should have galvanized the world into decisive action. They didn't. Consequently, the horrific cycle of violence has spiraled, culminating in unspeakable atrocities that demand immediate global attention.

As Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim, International President of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), observes, the recent events in el-Fasher, Darfur, are a stark testament to this devastating inaction. For two harrowing months, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have unleashed horrifying violence upon the city, indiscriminately targeting and killing civilians already weakened by over 500 days of relentless siege. These are individuals so desperate they've been reduced to consuming animal feed to survive.

El-Fasher's Unspeakable Horrors: A City Under Siege

Survivors who managed to flee el-Fasher, often embarking on perilous journeys to Tawila, 60km southwest, arrive deeply traumatized. Their testimonies, collected by MSF teams in Tawila, paint a grim picture: indiscriminate killings, ethnically targeted violence, harrowing accounts of rape, and terrified children orphaned and arriving in the arms of strangers. People have been systematically massacred, tortured, and summarily executed. Many remain unaccounted for or held for ransom as the violence grips the city.

The personal toll extends to MSF's courageous Sudanese colleagues, who continue to treat patients while agonizingly awaiting news of their own relatives. For many of them, family members, friends, or colleagues have already fallen victim to the RSF's brutality in el-Fasher.

Echoes of the Past: Predictable Violence and Unheeded Warnings

While the unfolding tragedy in Darfur is outrageous, it should not surprise us. For months, Sudanese people and numerous observers, including MSF, warned that the RSF's takeover of el-Fasher would inevitably lead to such massacres. We've witnessed this before.

At the very beginning of the war in 2023, the RSF's assault on el-Geneina, West Darfur’s capital, resulted in the deaths of at least 15,000 people, predominantly from the Masalit and other non-Arab communities. Displaced and injured individuals treated by MSF in Chad recounted being attacked purely for their ethnicity, often told to 'leave this country or die.' A subsequent MSF mortality survey revealed death rates 20 times higher in the months following April 2023 compared to pre-war figures. Astonishingly, nearly one in twenty men aged 15 to 44 went missing during this period. Today, el-Geneina is virtually devoid of its Masalit population.

Deliberate Strategy: Starvation, Displacement, and Ethnic Cleansing

Even the carnage at Zamzam camp, once Sudan's largest displacement site on el-Fasher's outskirts, failed to serve as a wake-up call. Long before those massacres, MSF teams in Zamzam repeatedly highlighted the severe malnutrition crisis and pleaded for a substantial humanitarian response—all to no avail. When a state of famine was declared in the camp in August 2024, MSF trucks laden with vital food supplies were deliberately stalled for months in North Darfur, with the RSF specifically ordering them away from el-Fasher. By February 2025, persistent shelling forced MSF to withdraw from the camp entirely.

Far from being isolated incidents by rogue commanders, the mass atrocities culminating in el-Fasher are integral to a deliberate, calculated campaign to starve, forcibly displace, and kill civilians, often along deeply disturbing ethnic lines.

The Global Betrayal: Inaction and Complicity in Darfur

The RSF, reportedly supported by nations like the United Arab Emirates, bears direct responsibility for the egregious crimes committed in el-Fasher. They must immediately cease all mass atrocities and ethnically targeted killings and ensure safe passage for survivors. All warring parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and, critically, the most basic tenets of humanity. Unhindered humanitarian access for those in need, regardless of territorial control, is non-negotiable.

Yet, the tragic predictability of this crisis underscores a profound, shared, and collective failure to protect civilians. This death and destruction are enabled by too many governments who choose not to leverage their influence to pressure the combatants to halt the violence and permit aid. Instead, they issue passive statements of concern while simultaneously, often through their allies, providing the very financial, political, and military support—the weapons—that maim, kill, and destroy.

Learning from History: Why We Must Act Now

More than two decades ago, when similar extreme violence engulfed Darfur, the world mobilized. The International Criminal Court indicted former President Omar al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and genocide committed by his army and the Janjaweed militias, which later evolved into the RSF.

Today, as similar crimes are perpetrated against the very same ethnic groups, global leaders cannot avert their gaze. Countries with significant influence over the warring parties, including the United States, the UAE, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – collectively known as the Quad – possess a moral imperative to act decisively and prevent further atrocities.

Refusing the 'New Normal': A Call for Immediate Action and Accountability

As the dust begins to settle on the horrors of el-Fasher, we stand at a critical juncture.After el-Fasher, we must refuse a 'new normal' of mass atrocities in Darfur. We need unwavering political commitment, sustained and impartial humanitarian mobilization, and uncompromising accountability. The UN Human Rights Council's recent decision to task its independent fact-finding mission for Sudan with investigating crimes in el-Fasher is a vital step, one that all states and parties must unequivocally support.

Our efforts must intensify for the countless individuals whose lives remain perilously at risk in el-Fasher and its surrounding communities. We must collectively ensure that this relentless cycle of violence and ethnic cleansing in Darfur is finally, decisively brought to an end. The current conflict dynamics sadly suggest that el-Fasher’s agonizing plight may not be the zenith of horrific violence, but merely another tragic milestone in a catastrophic war that continues to crush civilian lives, particularly now threatening the Kordofan region. We fear that more civilian victims and scenes of atrocity are yet to unfold, making our refusal to accept this 'new normal' more urgent than ever.