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Reports out of Sudan indicate that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are continuing to carry out an ethnically targeted genocide against non-Arab communities in the city of El Fasher and across the Darfur region.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back in April 2023, a civil war erupted in Sudan following a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the RSF, once allied groups that had a falling out over plans to integrate the RSF into the SAF. The SAF, led by Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, claims it is defending the country’ssovereignty and constitutional order, while the RSF, under Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, argues it is fighting to dismantle military dominance and establish civilian rule. Both sides have been widely accused of committing atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, sexual violence, and attacks on civilians. The conflict has also drawn in regional actors, with Sudan’s government recently accusing the United Arab Emirates of covertly supporting the RSF by supplying arms and hiring foreign mercenaries (allegations the UAE has denied). Other neighboring countries have been suspected of backing different factions to serve their own strategic interests, further fueling the instability.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, medical professionals from the Sudan Doctors Network have accused the RSF of engaging in a “desperate attempt” to erase evidence of atrocities committed during their violent takeover of El Fasher on October 26. According to the group, RSF fighters have been collecting “hundreds of bodies” from the streets and neighborhoods and either burning them completely or burying them in mass graves. “These crimes cannot be erased through concealment or burning,” the Network stated, describing the alleged actions as “one of the most inhumane acts in recent days.” Satellite imagery analyzed by Yale University’s Humanitarian Research Lab appears to corroborate these claims, showing signs of large fires and previously visible white objects (potentially bodies) disappearing after RSF forces moved through the city. One set of images shows a blaze near the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher, close to where suspected corpses had been previously spotted.

The humanitarian fallout has been catastrophic, with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimating that more than 92,000 people have fled El Fasher and surrounding areas in recent weeks, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons in Sudan to over 14 million since the war began. Civilians fleeing the violence report witnessing mass killings, ethnic cleansing, and torture, with many learning about the deaths of relatives through videos posted online by RSF fighters themselves. Survivors say RSF troops are targeting people based on skin color and tribal affiliation, particularly the Zaghawa and Masalit communities.

UN officials have condemned the situation, with UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Volker Türk warning that civilians “are still trapped inside El Fasher and are being prevented from leaving.” Tom Fletcher, the UN’s humanitarian chief, described the city as having “descended into an even darker hell,” adding that “El Fasher was already the scene of catastrophic levels of human suffering.” Despite these warnings, the RSF has reportedly expanded its operations beyond Darfur, with fighters now advancing through North and West Kordofan.

As of now, the RSF has not publicly responded to the latest wave of accusations regarding mass killings or the destruction of evidence. Efforts by international media and humanitarian groups to obtain comment have gone unanswered.