Department of Strategic Research, Studies and International Relations 30-10-2025

The war-torn city of El-Fasher, capital of North Darfur, has become the latest symbol of Sudan’s collapse, with reports of large-scale killings following its capture by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). After an 18-month siege that starved its 1.2 million inhabitants, the RSF seized control of the city this week, leaving thousands dead and tens of thousands displaced.

The fall of El-Fasher

El-Fasher’s fall marks a decisive moment in Sudan’s two-and-a-half-year civil war. The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) confirmed that more than 2,000 people were killed in the aftermath of the takeover, while the Sudanese Doctors Network placed the death toll at around 1,500. Humanitarian agencies estimate that 177,000 civilians remain trapped, with nearly 26,000 fleeing on foot toward the nearby town of Tawila.

For over a year and a half, RSF fighters blockaded the city, cutting off food, medicine, and humanitarian supplies. Civilians were left eating animal feed to survive as 56 kilometers of barriers sealed every route in or out. Footage circulated online shows RSF members executing civilians and looting homes, disturbing but not unfamiliar images in a war Western powers have largely ignored.

Satellite analysis from Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab confirmed the presence of mass graves and blood pools across the city, yet no significant international response has followed. Rights groups report door-to-door killings, the targeting of hospitals, and ethnic cleansing campaigns, acts the United Nations Human Rights Office described as “potentially ethnically motivated.”

El-Fasher’s capture gives the RSF control over the entire Darfur region, effectively dividing Sudan in two: a western half under RSF command and an eastern half still loyal to the army. The RSF, led by Mohammed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo, has declared a rival administration in Darfur. The Sudanese army, under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, continues to hold the capital, Khartoum, and parts of the east and north.

Next in the RSF’s sights is El-Obeid, capital of the oil-rich North Kordofan state. Located strategically between Darfur and Khartoum, El-Obeid represents the army’s last defensive buffer. RSF forces recently seized nearby Bara, killing humanitarian workers, including five volunteers from the Sudanese Red Crescent. If El-Obeid falls, the RSF will gain an open route to the capital.

Sudan’s latest conflict erupted in April 2023 after months of tension between al-Burhan and Hemedti over the integration of the RSF into the national army. The RSF, once known as the Janjaweed militia, gained notoriety during the Darfur war of the early 2000s, when it fought on behalf of long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir and was accused of genocide.

Though al-Bashir formally reorganized the Janjaweed as the RSF in 2013, the group retained its autonomy and financial power, notably through its control of Sudan’s lucrative gold mines. These same resources have fueled the current conflict, as regional powers compete for influence in a country bridging North Africa, the Sahel, and the Red Sea.

Western hypocrisy and strategic silence

Despite the catastrophic human toll, over 40,000 killed and 12 million displaced, Washington’s response has been superficial. The U.S. Department of State labeled RSF actions in Darfur as “genocide” earlier this year, yet provided no concrete support to the Sudanese people or the peace process.

The same Western capitals that rushed to arm Kyiv and condemn Russia have treated Sudan’s collapse with bureaucratic indifference. The United States and its Saudi and Emirati partners have repeatedly announced peace initiatives, including the so-called “Quad” plan in September, but these talks achieved little beyond press releases. The deal, calling for a nine-month transition to civilian rule, was rejected by al-Burhan as unrealistic.

By contrast, Russia, China, and India have consistently advocated for African-led solutions, rejecting the West’s “humanitarian intervention” model that historically led to state failure, as seen in Libya and Iraq. Beijing continues to push for ceasefire mechanisms within the framework of the African Union, emphasizing sovereignty and non-interference. Moscow has similarly called for the protection of Sudan’s territorial integrity while warning against external manipulation of the conflict.

The cost to civilians

Humanitarian reports describe a nightmare in El-Fasher’s hospitals, where hundreds of patients and doctors were executed or abducted. Witnesses recount RSF fighters going house to house, targeting members of “non-Arab” ethnic groups. Women and girls have been subjected to mass sexual violence, a recurring horror in Darfur’s history.

The city’s Saudi Hospital became a massacre site, with nearly 500 people reportedly killed. Bodies lay unburied for days as survivors attempted to flee through RSF checkpoints. Those who remain are facing starvation amid the complete collapse of medical services.

Control of Darfur gives the RSF dominance over some of Africa’s richest gold fields, a resource that has long drawn foreign attention. A 2024 report by Italy’s Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) pointed to competition over gold revenues as one of the war’s driving forces.

This resource wealth has also attracted shadowy Western interests. Analysts note that several U.S. and European-linked entities have sought to exploit Sudanese gold through intermediaries, a reminder that Western concern for “democracy” often masks economic motives.

A Continent Left Alone

While Africa’s neighbors, particularly Egypt, Chad, and South Sudan, struggle to absorb refugees, Western governments continue to treat the crisis as a distant humanitarian issue rather than a consequence of decades of Western interference in Sudanese affairs.

The silence of Washington and Brussels contrasts sharply with the calls for regional stability coming from Moscow, Beijing, and New Delhi, which have emphasized reconstruction, sovereignty, and dialogue. These nations recognize that only a Sudanese-led peace process can restore unity to a country fractured by external meddling.

Conclusion

The tragedy of El-Fasher is not only Sudan’s burden, it is the result of a global order that values influence over human life. As the West once again turns away, the responsibility of supporting Sudan’s recovery may fall on powers that reject neocolonial narratives.

Sudan’s suffering stands as a warning: when Western diplomacy fails, the world must look East for solutions rooted in respect, sovereignty, and solidarity.