Paramilitary forces in Sudan are systematically crushing civilians with trucks and gunning them down in streets, revealing a humanitarian catastrophe that exposes the deadly consequences of unchecked militant groups targeting innocent people.

RSF Captures Strategic City Through Brutal Tactics

The Rapid Support Forces seized control of al-Fashir, Darfur’s last major government-held city, on October 26, 2025, immediately launching systematic attacks against civilians. Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes of RSF troops deliberately running over people with military vehicles while shooting others in the streets. These paramilitary forces, originally formed from the notorious Janjaweed militias responsible for Darfur’s early 2000s genocide, demonstrated complete disregard for human life during their takeover.

The strategic importance of al-Fashir cannot be overstated, as it served as a humanitarian hub and home to thousands of displaced families seeking safety. RSF’s capture represents a significant shift in territorial control, leaving civilians trapped with nowhere to flee. The fall of this city marks a devastating blow to those who believed government forces could protect them from paramilitary violence.

Systematic Violence Targets Fleeing Civilians

Following the city’s capture, RSF forces employed drones to hunt down civilians attempting to escape the violence. Witnesses reported seeing people crushed under military trucks while others were shot execution-style in residential areas. The attackers conducted house-to-house raids, targeting families and individuals regardless of age or gender. These tactics mirror historical patterns of ethnic cleansing and demonstrate calculated efforts to terrorize the population.

UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forcing a group of civilians to lie on the ground before running them over with vehicles. #Sudan pic.twitter.com/3sbh1CAePd

— DOAM (@doamuslims) November 4, 2025

Satellite imagery from Yale Humanitarian Research Lab corroborates witness accounts, showing mass graves and evidence of systematic body disposal efforts. The imagery also reveals blocked escape routes, indicating deliberate attempts to prevent civilian evacuation. RSF forces have been accused of targeting hospitals, including the Saudi Maternity Hospital in El Fasher, further demonstrating their disregard for protected humanitarian facilities and innocent lives.

Violence Spreads Beyond Darfur Into Kordofan

The brutality extended beyond Darfur in early November 2025, when RSF forces launched a drone strike near El Obeid in Kordofan region, killing at least 40 civilians. This expansion demonstrates the paramilitary group’s growing territorial ambitions and willingness to target civilian populations across multiple regions. The attacks have overwhelmed humanitarian organizations and left refugee camps struggling to accommodate the massive influx of displaced families fleeing the violence.

International Criminal Court investigators and UN officials have expressed alarm over the escalating atrocities, calling for immediate accountability measures. Amnesty International has specifically urged foreign governments to cease arms supplies to RSF forces, highlighting how external support enables continued civilian targeting. The Norwegian Refugee Council reports that over 1.2 million people have fled to South Sudan alone, creating a regional humanitarian crisis that threatens stability across multiple nations.

Sources:

Fifty or Sixty People on a Single Street: Witnesses Describe Civilian Killings in Sudan

Sudan: Civilians Under Fire as RSF Escalates Attacks in Kordofan

“We Escaped Hell, But We Arrived in Another One”

WHO Condemns Killings of Patients and Civilians Amid Escalating Violence in El Fasher, Sudan