RSF DENIES TARGETING CIVILIANS IN El FASHER, BLAMES MILITIAS FOR ENDANGERING RESIDENTS.
BY NJOKI KARANJA.
Khartoum, August 14, 2025.
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has strongly denied allegations that it has targeted civilians in the North Darfur city of El Fasher, describing the claims as “unfounded” and accusing rival militias of endangering residents.
In a statement issued Wednesday, the RSF alleged that militias linked to Sudan’s Islamic Movement and fighters from armed opposition groups have been using civilians as human shields in an effort to slow the RSF’s advance. The group said these forces have also coerced some residents into joining the so-called “Popular Resistance.”
The RSF maintained that it has taken extensive measures to protect civilians, citing the creation of humanitarian corridors through Garni, Hillat Al-Sheikh, Shaqra, and West Golo. According to the group, more than 800,000 people have been evacuated through these routes to safer locations including Tawila, Kurma, and Shangil Tobai, in operations coordinated with the Tasis Alliance Forces.
Humanitarian committees have also been established to assist those displaced, the RSF said, while pledging to continue opening safe corridors for civilians and to treat captured military personnel in line with international humanitarian law.
“We categorically reject and fully refute these accusations,” the statement read. “We call on the international community, diplomatic missions, and the media to verify information carefully and not be swayed by propaganda campaigns aimed at distorting the facts on the ground.”
The RSF said its operations aim to “liberate the entire territory” from extremist and terrorist elements, and vowed to press ahead with efforts toward what it described as “a new chapter in Sudan’s history — peace, justice, and democracy.”
The allegations and counterclaims come amid ongoing heavy fighting in El Fasher, which has emerged as one of the most intense battlegrounds in Sudan’s 16-month conflict.
