Genocide in Darfur (2023–present)
Genocide returns to Darfur by Arab racism (2023 and on)
The genocide in Darfur (2023–present), also referred to as the "new Darfur genocide," is an ongoing ethnic conflict in the Darfur region of Sudan, characterized by systematic violence perpetrated primarily by the Islamic racist supremacist Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied [[Arab] militias against non-Arab ethnic groups, including the Masalit, Fur, and Zaghawa peoples. This phase of violence is widely described as driven by Arab racism, with RSF forces—predominantly composed of Arab Janjaweed descendants—targeting non-Arabs through mass killings, rapes, and forced displacement.[1][2] It has been formally determined as genocide by the United States government and international organizations, echoing the 2003–2005 Darfur genocide but escalating amid Sudan's broader civil war.[3]
The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, widespread sexual violence, and the displacement of hundreds of thousands, with El Geneina and El Fasher emerging as epicenters of atrocities. As of October 2025, the violence continues unchecked, with satellite imagery and survivor testimonies documenting mass graves and summary executions.
Background
The Darfur region has a history of ethnic tensions exacerbated by resource scarcity and Arab supremacist ideologies, leading to the 2003 genocide under Omar al-Bashir's regime, where Janjaweed militias—government-backed Arab nomadic groups—killed an estimated 300,000 non-Arabs.[4] The RSF, formed in 2013 from Janjaweed remnants under Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), inherited this legacy of Arab-centric violence.
Sudan's 2023 civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF reignited Darfur-specific atrocities. The RSF's expansion into Darfur territories has been marked by ethnic cleansing, with fighters explicitly targeting non-Arabs based on identity, often using racial slurs and declaring intentions to "cleanse" areas of "slaves" or "Africans."[5] This phase is distinguished by the RSF's use of social media to document and celebrate killings, amplifying the terror.
Key events
2023: Renewed massacres in El Geneina
In mid-2023, as the civil war spread to Darfur, RSF forces and allied Arab militias launched coordinated attacks on non-Arab communities in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur. Between April and June, an estimated 5,000 civilians—mostly Masalit—were killed in house-to-house raids, with survivors reporting fighters shouting ethnic epithets and systematically executing men and boys.[6][4] Sexual violence was rampant, with women and girls raped as a tool of subjugation, consistent with patterns of Arab racist domination.[5]
The violence displaced over 300,000 people, many fleeing to Chad, where refugees described RSF checkpoints where non-Arabs were separated and killed.[4] Genocide Watch labeled these acts as the onset of a "new genocide," citing the intent to destroy non-Arab groups through killings and preventing returns via land seizures by Arab settlers.[4]
2024: Escalation and international recognition
Throughout 2024, RSF advances in Darfur intensified, with atrocities in towns like Tawila and Sortony. Reports documented the beheading of non-Arab leaders and the burning of villages, framed by perpetrators as "Arab reclamation" of Fur lands.[4] In April 2024, Reuters reported thousands killed in RSF sweeps, with evidence of mass graves in El Geneina.[4]
On January 7, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a formal genocide determination, stating that RSF and allies had committed acts "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part," non-Arab groups, including systematic murders of "men and boys—even infants—on an ethnic basis" and targeted rapes.[5] This triggered U.S. sanctions and accountability measures.
2025: Fall of El Fasher and mass atrocities
The RSF's capture of El Fasher on October 26, 2025—Sudan's last SAF stronghold in Darfur after an 18-month siege—unleashed unprecedented horrors. Within days, RSF fighters massacred over 460 people at Saudi Hospital, executing patients, staff, and visitors in wards.[7] Satellite images from Yale's Humanitarian Research Lab revealed clusters of bodies and bloodstains outside the facility and along the city's nine-foot berm, a "kill box" trapping 120,000 civilians, half children.[8]
Videos geolocated by CNN, many self-recorded by RSF fighters, showed executions at El Fasher University's medical school: an elderly man shot amid dozens of bodies; eight unarmed men killed in succession; fighters hunting fleeing civilians, including calls to "catch the girls."[8] Survivors reported house-to-house raids separating men for killing, with non-Arab ethnicity as the criterion—young men "kidnapped or killed on the way" due to their identity.[8] The Sudan Doctors Network documented the abduction of six medics for ransom, amid reports of 100 million Sudanese pounds ($166,000) demands per person.[8]
By October 31, 2025, approximately 5,000 refugees reached Tawila camp, predominantly women and children, with a "big gap" in adult males, indicating targeted killings.[8] UNICEF and the International Rescue Committee described "blood-curdling" testimonies of ransoms, rapes, and streets "strewn with bodies."[8]
In April 2025, a joint statement by global R2P advocates affirmed genocidal intent under the Genocide Convention, citing RSF actions as deliberate destruction of non-Arab groups.[9]
Genocide determination and Arab racism
The violence is rooted in Arab racism, with RSF rhetoric and actions mirroring Janjaweed ideologies of ethnic superiority. U.S. determinations highlight "deliberate targeting" based on ethnicity, including infant killings and sexual enslavement.[5] The Global Centre for R2P noted RSF-allied militias from the Sahel, including Wagner Group elements, enabling the campaign.[9][8] Hemedti acknowledged "violations" on October 29, 2025, promising investigations, but RSF denied hospital killings as "fabricated," despite evidence.[8]
Humanitarian impact
The 2023–2025 violence has killed over 20,000 in Darfur alone, contributing to 150,000+ civil war deaths.[8] Over 1 million remain displaced in Darfur, facing famine and militia-controlled escape routes.[8] Aid groups report rampant sexual violence, with women fleeing El Fasher describing rapes as ethnic punishment.[8] The UN has called for ceasefires and probes, citing "widespread violations" including escape route attacks.[8]
International response
The U.S. imposed sanctions post-2025 determination.[5] Western nations and human rights groups demand accountability, with calls for ICC referrals.[9][8] Allegations of UAE arms support persist, deemed "credible" by UN experts.[8] As of October 2025, no ceasefire holds, with fears of further ethnic cleansing.[8]
See also
References
- ↑ RSF Arabs kill thousands in new Darfur genocide. Reuters via Genocide Watch (2024-04-16).
- ↑ Genocide Determination in Sudan and Imposing Accountability Measures. U.S. Department of State (2025-01-07).
- ↑ Joint Statement: Genocide Returns to Darfur. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (2025-04-15).
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 RSF Arabs kill thousands in new Darfur genocide. Reuters via Genocide Watch (2024-04-16).
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Genocide Determination in Sudan and Imposing Accountability Measures. U.S. Department of State (2025-01-07).
- ↑ The Slaughter of El Geneina. Reuters (2023-09-22).
- ↑ Kottasová, Ivana, Vasco Cotovio, Nada Bashir. "Rebels accused of massacring hundreds of people as videos emerge of atrocities and bodies in Sudanese city", CNN, 2025-10-31.
- ↑ 8.00 8.01 8.02 8.03 8.04 8.05 8.06 8.07 8.08 8.09 8.10 8.11 8.12 8.13 8.14 Kottasová, Ivana, Vasco Cotovio, Nada Bashir. "Rebels accused of massacring hundreds of people as videos emerge of atrocities and bodies in Sudanese city", CNN, 2025-10-31.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Joint Statement: Genocide Returns to Darfur. Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (2025-04-15).