Medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned Thursday of large-scale atrocities and targeted ethnic violence in Sudan’s Darfur region as clashes escalate between the army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF, a powerful paramilitary group with roots in the Janjaweed militia, has strengthened its hold on Darfur since the army lost control of the capital, Khartoum, in March. The region has long been a center of conflict, with the Janjaweed accused of genocide in the early 2000s.
In a new report, MSF said it documented harrowing accounts from civilians and patients between May 2024 and May 2025, citing deliberate attacks on non-Arab ethnic communities.
Since May 2024, the RSF has besieged El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur and the army’s last stronghold in the region. MSF warned of increasing threats of a full-scale assault on the city, where hundreds of thousands lack food, clean water and medical care.
The report described “systematic violence,” including mass killings, sexual assault, looting, abductions, starvation and attacks on civilians and health facilities.
Eyewitnesses said RSF fighters made chilling remarks about plans to “clean El-Fasher” of non-Arab ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa people. The comments raised fears of a repeat of last year’s massacre of the Masalit community in West Darfur.
MSF suspended operations in El-Fasher and the nearby Zamzam displacement camp earlier this year after repeated attacks.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres expressed hope for a ceasefire to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged city.
Sudan’s conflict, now in its third year, has left over 13 million people displaced and tens of thousands dead. The U.N. calls it the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis.
More than 1 million people in North Darfur alone face imminent famine, according to U.N. data. The country remains divided, with the army holding the east, center and north, while the RSF controls nearly all of Darfur and parts of the south.