Darfur Crisis Deepens as RSF Captures Al-Fashir, Red Cross Warns of ‘History Repeating’

The head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mirjana Spoljaric, has warned that “history is repeating itself” in Sudan’s Darfur region following reports of mass killings after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized control of the city of al-Fashir. The RSF’s capture of the city—previously the Sudanese army’s last stronghold in Darfur—marks a major turning point in Sudan’s devastating civil war, giving the paramilitary group control over more than a quarter of the nation’s territory.

According to the United Nations, hundreds of civilians and unarmed fighters were likely killed during the city’s fall. Witnesses reported RSF forces separating men from women and children before gunfire erupted. The RSF has denied targeting civilians.

Spoljaric described the situation as “horrific,” saying tens of thousands have fled al-Fashir while many others remain trapped without food, clean water, or medical aid. She also expressed concern over reports of a massacre at the Saudi Hospital—the last functioning medical facility in the city—though the ICRC has yet to verify the incident. Staff in nearby Tawila reported people collapsing or dying from exhaustion and untreated wounds while fleeing.

The United States has accused the RSF of committing genocide in the Darfur city of Geneina and of carrying out ethnic cleansing, allegations the group denies. Spoljaric urged nations backing either side, including the UAE and Egypt, to restrain their allies and ensure civilian protection.

More than 70,000 people have fled al-Fashir since late October, with nearly 200,000 still unaccounted for. Spoljaric warned that the world is facing a “decade of war,” fueled by rising conflicts and drone warfare, which have made “nowhere safe anymore.”