200 civilians

People displaced by the war in Sudan return to Wad Madani in Gezira state on February 6, 2025, after the city was retaken by the Sudanese army. (Photo by Albi)

 Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have killed more than 200 civilians in a series of assaults on displacement camps and surrounding areas of El Fasher, the last major city controlled by the Sudanese army in the Darfur region.

The fatalities include at least 56 civilians who were killed by the RSF forces during two days of assaults in Um Kadadah, a town they captured on the route to El Fasher.

The violence in the Darfur region is among the most severe since the start of the civil war between Sudan’s army and the RSF forces, who are backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), nearly two years ago.

The United Nations said that killings were ongoing at two major displacement camps, including the complete massacre of the medical personnel from Relief International, which was running the last functioning clinic within Zamzam camp.

The RSF forces were reportedly setting buildings ablaze throughout Zamzam on Sunday, claiming that they were searching for Sudanese government fighters concealed within the camps.

In 2023, a conflict broke out between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The conflict has resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands, displaced over 12 million people, and led the International Rescue Committee to characterize it as “the largest humanitarian crisis ever documented.”

Khartoum has accused the UAE of backing the RSF in what it calls a genocide against the non-Arab Masalit people in Sudan’s Darfur region.

The Sudanese government demands that the UAE cease its support for the RSF and provide “full reparations,” including compensation for the war’s victims.

On Thursday, Sudan took legal action against the UAE at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for creating the “driving force” behind the ongoing “genocide” in Sudan.