KHARTOUM/ISTANBUL

As many as 177,000 civilians were stranded in the Sudanese city of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur captured by the Rapid Security Forces (RSF) over the weekend, amid reports of mass killings and ethnic cleansing by the paramilitary force.

The "RSF committed a horrifying massacre against unarmed civilians on an ethnic basis in a crime of racial cleansing. Reports from our field teams indicate that the number of victims is estimated in the thousands, amid severe communication difficulties and total insecurity,” the Sudan Doctors’ Union said in a statement late Wednesday.

The association reported widespread violations by the RSF including “summary executions, house-to-house raids, sexual violence, and forcing victims to dig their graves and bury themselves alive.”

According to the statement, nearly 2,000 civilians were killed in a few hours of the rebel group entering the city.

The RSF seized El-Fasher on Sunday following heavy clashes with the Sudanese army, the city which had been under siege by the rebel group since May 2024.

“Innocent people were executed by being burned alive, while 177,000 civilians remain trapped, with most believed to have been subjected to mass killings,” the union said.

Nearly 28,000 Sudanese have been displaced within 48 hours, as 1,000 of them arrived in the town of Tawila in the same state.

According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 36,000 people fled El-Fasher between Oct. 26 and 29.

The RSF carried out continued attacks targeting escape routes to prevent civilians from reaching safe areas, and “those attempting to flee by car were burned alive inside their vehicles.”

The doctors confirmed earlier reports by several local groups on RSF atrocities targeting the healthcare system and medical workers.

“The massacre at the Saudi Hospital in El-Fasher witnessed the field execution of over 450 patients and wounded individuals who were inside the hospital, along with around 1,200 elderly people, wounded, and patients in field medical facilities,” the statement said.

According to the World Health Organization, over 1,200 health workers and patients were killed and 416 injured in 185 verified RSF attacks since the start of the war in April 2023.

The union strongly condemned the “horrific massacre and the total humanitarian collapse” in El-Fasher and affirmed that “these acts constitute genocide, systematic ethnic cleansing, and fully-fledged war crimes, adding to the militia’s long record of atrocities in Darfur.”

It called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to assume their responsibility and protect the Sudanese people.

The army and the RSF have been locked in a civil war since April 2023. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced over 15 million.