El Fasher, the last stronghold of Sudanese government forces in North Darfur, has fallen to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group reportedly backed by the UAE, marking a major escalation in Sudan’s civil war.

Since the conflict began in April 2023, tens of thousands have died, 12 million have been displaced, and 30 million are in urgent need of humanitarian aid, with the RSF’s capture of El Fasher on Sunday adding a new wave of civilian killings, looting, and displacement.

Reports from the Sudan Doctors Network and local resistance committees on Monday indicate that over 1,200 civilians have been killed within 24 hours of the RSF's advance.

Many of these victims were executed in their homes or while attempting to flee. Medical facilities have been looted, and essential supplies have been stripped.

In nearby Bara, North Kordofan, RSF attacks reportedly resulted in at least 47 deaths, including nine women, amid abductions and rampant looting.

Chilling video footage circulating online shows RSF convoys pursuing terrified civilians, many from Nubian and Fur communities.

Fighters shout racial slurs such as “Kill the Nubs,” while others jeer at corpses. One clip appears to show a man identified as Brigadier-General Al-Fatih Abdallah 'Issa Abu Lulu' Idris, taunting a captive before carrying out a point-blank execution amid a scene of bodies.

Such footage, emerging despite widespread communication outages, depicts a systematic pattern of humiliation and ethnic targeting, not isolated incidents.

Escape offers little protection. Earthen berms, constructed by the RSF to trap the army, now funnel civilians into kill zones.

Journalists have also been targeted, with at least six killed in recent days, including an Al Jazeera correspondent whose whereabouts remain unknown.

UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher warned that El Fasher is “at breaking point,” urging safe passage and unhindered delivery of aid.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the escalation, calling on foreign actors supplying weapons to halt interference and demanding an immediate ceasefire across Sudan.

Sudanese officials dismiss the RSF’s victory as “psychological warfare,” but analysts warn it cements the group’s control over Darfur and could fuel further attacks and ethnic tensions.

Calls are mounting for investigations into RSF atrocities, yet restricted humanitarian access leaves civilians exposed.

For civilians trapped in El Fasher, the human cost—mothers shielding children, the elderly collapsing while fleeing—remains immediate and devastating, a stark reminder of the war’s brutality.