Rapid Support Forces siege leaves El Fasher a ghost town in Sudan

One year after the city of El Fasher fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the once-vibrant regional capital in Sudan has been reduced to a ghost town. The fall of the city on October 26, 2025, followed a prolonged and brutal siege that marked a major turning point in the nation's ongoing civil war. Since then, the RSF has maintained a stranglehold on the area, leading to widespread reports of atrocities and a total breakdown of social and administrative structures.

The human cost of the occupation has been catastrophic, with estimates suggesting that the death toll in and around El Fasher may reach tens of thousands. Human rights observers have documented systematic campaigns of violence, including mass killings that specifically target non-Arab communities. This ethnic dimension to the conflict has drawn intense international condemnation, yet the violence has persisted. Nearly 100,000 residents were forced to flee their homes during the height of the fighting, leaving behind a hollowed-out urban center where survivors now live in a state of constant fear.

Conditions for those remaining in El Fasher are increasingly inhumane. Humanitarian access is severely restricted, leaving the population with little to no medical care, food security, or clean water. Furthermore, there are harrowing reports emerging from RSF-controlled detention facilities, where prisoners are allegedly subjected to torture and other human rights violations. The physical infrastructure of the city lies in ruins, and the psychological trauma inflicted on the population has created a legacy of suffering that experts warn will take generations to heal.

As the situation continues to evolve, there are growing fears that the patterns of violence seen in El Fasher could be replicated in neighboring regions. While the international community has voiced outrage over the fall of the city and the subsequent humanitarian crisis, effective intervention remains elusive. The ongoing instability in Sudan continues to threaten the wider region, with the devastation in El Fasher serving as a grim testament to the high price of the protracted conflict.