Sudan: Survivors’ Accounts Reveal El-Fasher Carnage & UAE Arms Link

As the conflict in Sudan approaches its second year, a new report from Amnesty International details harrowing accounts of survivors fleeing the besieged city of El-fasher in North Darfur. The escalating violence, marked by allegations of mass killings and sexual assault, raises urgent questions about potential war crimes and the involvement of outside actors in fueling the crisis. With nearly 13 million displaced and the spectre of genocide looming, these firsthand testimonies offer a critical, and devastating, glimpse into the human cost of the ongoing war [[3]].

                <p class="lead textModule textModule--type-lead hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">The burden of survival in any conflict is to bear witness – to recount the horrors endured and to give voice to those who didn’t survive. In Sudan, these accounts are taking on critical importance as the world struggles to fully grasp the scale of the ongoing violence.</p>

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                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">The conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, is unfolding even as perpetrators openly document their atrocities on social media, boasting of committing genocide. But it is the firsthand accounts of those who escaped the violence that truly reveal the extent of the devastation.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">Amnesty International on Tuesday released a new report detailing the experiences of 28 men, women, and children who narrowly escaped the ongoing massacre in El-Fasher, which began on October 26th.<sup>⁠1</sup> The city, located in North Darfur province, had become a haven for humanitarian organizations, but that changed in May 2024 when paramilitary forces encircled it.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">For 500 days, the paramilitary groups tightened their grip on both the Sudanese Armed Forces defending the city and the civilian population. The assault on El-Fasher began on October 26th, leaving the fate of tens of thousands uncertain. Of the 260,000 people who remained in the city, at least 70,000 have fled, but only 10,000 have reached Tawila, the nearest town. The whereabouts of the others remain unknown.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">The report includes harrowing testimonies from survivors. “They shot at us from all sides… I saw my friends die in front of me,” recounted 19-year-old Daoud*, who fled with seven friends. Another man, Khalil*, was intercepted with 19 others, 17 of whom were executed. The development underscores the brutal reality facing civilians caught in the crossfire.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">Women described experiencing sexual violence, with one 14-year-old girl comforting her mother after they both were attacked. Her mother died in her arms just hours later. These testimonies are among the first to be published, but they represent a pattern of violence that has been unfolding for years.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">Before El-Fasher, there was El-Geneina, and before that, the Zamzam refugee camp – each site marked by massacres. Reports from the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and the Raoul-Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights are accumulating, documenting war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides of the conflict. These reports also raise the specter of genocide as ethnic non-Arab groups are once again targeted.<sup>⁠2</sup></p>



                <p class="epigraph textModule textModule--type-epigraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">The reports also point to the involvement of regional powers, including the United Arab Emirates, which, according to multiple reports since last spring, is supplying weapons to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).<sup>⁠3</sup></p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">Amnesty International has evidence that Chinese-made artillery, sold exclusively to the UAE, is being used by the RSF. A confidential UN report also noted unmarked Emirati aircraft landing in areas known for arms trafficking. The UAE government denies all allegations.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">The situation has drawn scrutiny from international leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Three weeks after the El-Fasher massacre, Trudeau became the first Canadian head of government to visit the UAE in nearly four decades. The visit resulted in investment promises worth $70 billion and a series of handshakes.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">Canadian organizations had urged Trudeau to seek assurances from Emirati authorities that no Canadian weapons were being transferred to the RSF. During a press conference, Trudeau stated he had discussed Sudan and the peace process being led by the United States, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, but did not specifically address the issue of arms transfers.</p>



                <p class="paragraph textModule textModule--type-paragraph hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">While Trudeau is fulfilling his election promise to diversify Canada’s economic partnerships, the question remains whether this is being done at the expense of fundamental values and basic decency. The testimonies from the survivors of El-Fasher serve as a stark reminder of the consequences of action – or inaction – on the world stage.</p>



                <p class="infraNote textModule textModule--type-infraNote hasFeaturedAuthor" style="">* Fictitious name used by Amnesty International in its report</p>

1. Read Amnesty International’s report on the El-Fasher massacre
   
   

2. Read a recent report from the Raoul-Wallenberg Centre on the conflict in Sudan

3. Read Amnesty International’s report on weapons supplied by the UAE used in Sudan

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