New Delhi – In a horrifying new development in Sudan’s escalating civil war, chilling reports allege the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are digging mass graves in Sudan’s el-Fasher to conceal the scale of a recent massacre. The accusations, highlighted by a leading conflict monitor, suggest a systematic campaign to erase evidence of atrocities, raising fears of a deliberate and ghastly cover-up.
El-Fasher: The Last SAF Stronghold Under Siege
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, is the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in the vast Darfur region. For weeks, the city has been the epicentre of a brutal RSF siege, trapping hundreds of thousands of civilians in a terrifying crossfire. Now, the battle for el-Fasher appears to have entered a much darker phase, with the RSF seemingly determined to capture the city at any cost.
Evidence of a ‘Systematic Purge’ and Cover-Up
“What we are witnessing is not just warfare; it’s a systematic purge followed by an evidence-erasure campaign,” stated Dr. Alistair Finch, a senior analyst at the European Centre for Conflict Studies, in an exclusive briefing. “Our sources on the ground, corroborated by satellite imagery analysis, indicate large-scale earthmoving activities in the dead of night on the eastern outskirts of el-Fasher. These are consistent with the digging of mass graves.”
According to Dr. Finch, the RSF is allegedly “cleaning up” after a series of targeted attacks on civilians, particularly from non-Arab ethnic groups historically targeted by the Janjaweed, the RSF‘s notorious predecessor. “The pattern is tragically familiar,” he noted. “First comes the siege, then the shelling, followed by militia raids… The final step, it seems, is to erase the victims, to make it impossible to count the dead and hold the perpetrators accountable.”
War Crime Allegations and a Deepening Humanitarian Crisis
The implications of these allegations are profound. The use of mass graves to conceal killings is a war crime under international law. This move suggests a calculated effort by RSF leadership to hide the extent of their actions from the world.
The situation compounds an already dire humanitarian crisis. Aid agencies have warned of a “catastrophe of epic proportions,” with collapsed infrastructure and constant shelling. The main hospital in el-Fasher has been repeatedly attacked, leaving the wounded with virtually no access to medical care.
Muted International Response Amid Growing Atrocities
The international community’s response has so far been limited to verbal condemnations that have failed to halt the violence. While the UN Security Council has called for an end to the siege, the reality on the ground remains unchanged. This latest report will undoubtedly increase pressure on global powers to take more decisive action against the perpetrators of these alleged war crimes in Sudan.
From New Delhi’s perspective, the situation is being monitored with grave concern. India, which successfully evacuated its citizens last year under “Operation Kaveri,” has consistently called for a cessation of hostilities and a return to a civilian-led government, urging all parties to respect international humanitarian law.
As the battle for el-Fasher rages on, the reports of mass graves serve as a stark reminder of the conflict’s devastating human toll. The soil of Darfur, already soaked in the blood of past genocides, is now being turned to hide the victims of its present.
