Over 33,000 flee Sudan's El-Fasher in three days amid RSF assault

More than 33,000 people have fled Sudan's El-Fasher within a three-day period as paramilitary Rapid Support Forces intensify their assault on the besieged city, according to the International Organization for Migration. The massive displacement comes amid reports of systematic executions of wounded patients and widespread atrocities against civilians in North Darfur's capital.

Rapid Displacement and Mounting Casualties

The IOM reported late Tuesday that 7,455 people were displaced from El-Fasher in a single day on October 28, bringing the three-day total to 33,485 since the RSF launched its full-scale assault on the city. These figures represent preliminary estimates expected to rise as insecurity continues and displacement accelerates. Most displaced individuals have fled to rural areas within El-Fasher locality, while others reached Tawila, Mellit and Kebkabiya west of the city.

Systematic Atrocities and Hospital Executions

Sudanese authorities and international organizations have accused the RSF of committing "massacres and humanitarian violations" against civilians, including summary executions, arbitrary arrests and forced displacement. The El-Fasher Resistance Coordination committee reported that "all the wounded and injured inside the Saudi Maternity Hospital were collectively executed by Janjaweed militias in horrific ways," describing how patients were killed "while they were between life and death." The committee depicted a scene where "mercy vanished before medicine could reach them, and hospitals fell into a terrifying silence."

International Condemnation and Military Context

The Arab League condemned the "atrocious crimes" committed against civilians and called for prosecution of those responsible, while urging an immediate ceasefire. The violence occurs amid intense clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and RSF, with the latter recently claiming control of El-Fasher. Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Burhan confirmed Monday that army forces withdrew from the city to prevent further "systematic destruction and killing" of civilians. UN and medical organizations have called for civilian protection and safe passage from the conflict zone.