Displacement, detentions, and killings following the RSF takeover of El Fasher

After an 18-month siege, El Fasher fell to the RSF on October 26, 2025. Footage verified shows civilians being detained and killed as they tried to flee, as well as senior commanders present at execution sites and signs of further atrocities being committed.

Key findings

• On October 26, Rapid Support Forces (RSF) forces took control of the Sudanese Armed Forces’ (SAF) 6th Infantry Division base in El Fasher after an 18-month siege. CIR verified multiple videos showing RSF soldiers inside the base and elsewhere in the city, including El Fasher University, confirming the group’s control of key areas.
• CIR identified six RSF commanders present at the 6th Infantry Division base on 26 October, including the RSF’s Deputy Commander Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo, brother of RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
• CIR verified footage of mass detentions and killings northwest of El Fasher, all filmed within three kilometres of each other. The incidents took place along a common route taken by civilians fleeing from El Fasher to Gurnei.
• Narrative and hate speech analysis showed RSF fighters coercing detainees into stating that they were combatants, as well as using ethnic slurs towards civilians.
• CIR observed several indicators of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). While no footage showcasing sexual violence has surfaced so far, these observations (combined with pattern analysis of reports from other areas under RSF control) raise concern for women in El Fasher.
• RSF commander Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam (better known as ‘Abu Lulu’) was recorded at least six times while executing detainees and firing at bodies. In one of the videos, he claimed that the RSF would start advancing to the Northern State. Shortly after the videos of the executions surfaced online, pro-RSF social media accounts started publicly celebrating his violent actions.
• Other commanders identified at the killing sites include RSF field commanders Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed (known as ‘Al Zeir Salem’) and Edris Kafuti.

RSF takeover of El Fasher

Key locations

On 26 October, the RSF published a video featuring its spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel El Fateh Qurashi Bashir, claiming they had taken over El Fasher. CIR verified three videos confirming they took over the SAF’s 6^th Infantry Division base on that day. Additional two verified videos show that the airport was captured by the RSF on 27 October, finalising the takeover of the city following an 18-month siege by the RSF.

On 26 October, the official Telegram channel of the RSF posted a video showing soldiers celebrating inside a military base. CIR geolocated the footage to the western side of the base (figure 2), confirming that RSF soldiers had breached the perimeter and were inside the grounds of the base. Another video, which was shared to X on 26 October by a pro-SAF account, showed that RSF soldiers had advanced further into the base and were walking around freely. The footage was geolocated to a parking area on the northern end of the base (figure 2). A third video, shared on the official RSF Telegram channel on 26 October, showed a large group of RSF fighters inside the 6^th Infantry Division base, attending a speech by the RSF’s deputy commander, Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo Musa, brother of RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (‘Hemedti’). CIR determined the base was taken in the early morning of 26 October. Shadow analysis using SunCalc suggests that the first two videos were filmed between 6-7am Central Africa Time (CAT). The video of Dagalo giving a speech was filmed later in the morning, approximately between 10-11am CAT according to analysis using SunCalc.

New RSF presence was also verified in other areas of El Fasher. On 26 October, a pro-RSF Telegram channel posted a video filmed from a moving vehicle. CIR verified that the footage was filmed near El Fasher University, indicating that the RSF also took control of the area west of the 6^th Infantry Division base.

On 27 October, videos started circulating showing RSF at the El Fasher Airport. The videos, verified by CIR, confirmed that the RSF had taken full control of the city on that day. One video, shared to a pro-RSF Telegram channel on 27 October, shows an RSF fighter next to the El Fasher airport terminal declaring the group’s control over the airport.

Executions at El Fasher University

On 27 October a video started circulating online, including by a pro-SAF Telegram channel, claiming to show RSF fighters in the Saudi Hospital in El Fasher. The video shows the ground floor of a building filled with bodies, including an elderly man being shot by a fighter armed with an assault rifle. The camera then moves outside, where more bodies in civilian clothing can be seen. CIR geolocated the video to the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science building at El Fasher University rather than the Saudi Hospital. Airbus satellite imagery published by the Yale School of Public Health, captured on 28 October, shows discolouration and new clusters of objects around the University, supporting evidence that killings took place there.

While CIR did not verify any footage filmed at the Saudi Hospital or in other locations inside the city of El Fasher, Yale’s analysis suggests it is highly plausible that killings occurred in other locations around the city as well.

Forced displacement, detentions, and mass killings northwest of El Fasher

CIR verified several pieces of footage showing mass detentions, burning vehicles, and mass killings of individuals in civilian clothing all filmed in the same area northwest of El Fasher, in the direction of Gurnei

Events in El Fasher have aggravated the ongoing civilian displacement crisis. A report from Al Jazeera on 6 October stated that El Fasher’s population had fallen by 62 per cent from its pre-war level of 1.11 million to approximately 413,000 people. However, the United Nations estimated that around 260,000 people remained in El Fasher as of late August 2025. This discrepancy in figures may reflect differing methodologies or reporting dates, but both indicate a severe reduction in the city’s population.

According to a report by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) published on 2 November, over 70,000 people have been displaced from El Fasher since 26 October, while other organisations reported that thousands remained trapped or missing, with some being held by the RSF inside the city. According to a statement by Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF) from 31 October, only slightly more than 5,000 had reached Tawila in the first five days after the takeover. This suggests that large numbers of the civilian population are missing, unable to flee El Fasher, or trying to reach Gurnei or Korma instead. According to Sudan Doctors Network, the RSF are holding thousands of civilians inside the city, while CIR verified videos that confirmed that large groups of men have been detained and killed along the route towards Gurnei.

The videos that CIR verified were filmed in or nearby a berm that the RSF started to construct in May 2025, to fortify their positions and restrict movement (figure 4). The berm surrounds all of El Fasher, and at its northwest point, is approximately 12 kilometres away from the SAF’s 6^th Infantry Division base. It is likely that many civilians fleeing El Fasher by foot or by vehicle are unable to cross this berm.

Mass detentions and displacement

CIR verified footage showing a large group of men walking along a dirt road carrying their belongings, filmed approximately 250 metres to the northwest of and beyond a checkpoint in the berm on the road leading out of El Fasher (figure 4). This road is part of a route that is reportedly commonly taken by civilians fleeing El Fasher towards Gurnei. The group appears to consist almost entirely of men. Technical vehicles can be seen parked next to the group. An alleged RSF member filming the group from a driving vehicle can be heard saying that this is “the harvest of today from El Fasher”, while another voice says “26, month of October”.

In nearly the exact same location, CIR geolocated five videos of a large group of detained men (figure 4). One video, posted to Facebook by an RSF soldier on 26 October, shows RSF fighters celebrating next to at least 100 detained men. The group of detainees were also visible on Planet satellite imagery from 26 October (figure 6).

CIR assesses that it is possible that the group of men seen in the footage along the dirt road (figure 5) is (partially) the same group of men seen in the detention videos (figure 6) but could not confirm this.

Mass killings

On 27 October, one day after RSF took over the 6^th Infantry Division base, videos filmed near the berm—approximately 12 kilometres northwest of the base (figure 4)—began circulating online. The footage, verified by CIR, shows executions (for example in a video posted by a pro-SAF X account), numerous bodies, and several still smouldering or burnt-out vehicles (for example seen in videos posted to a pro-RSF Telegram channel) (figure 7).

CIR identified nine videos showing fighters shooting unarmed men in civilian clothing, including the video from El Fasher University. CIR verified six of those videos, with five showing RSF fighters shooting unarmed men in civilian clothing near the alleged withdrawal site northwest of El Fasher.[1]

Analysis of the footage suggests that the victims could be a combination of both SAF(-affiliated) combatants as well as civilians. A few of the victims wear military uniforms and some of the burnt-out vehicles are equipped with mounted guns. On Monday 27 October, the same day as the incident at the berm, SAF leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced that SAF forces had withdrawn from El Fasher.

It is possible that the SAF withdrew via the northwest of the city and were ambushed by the RSF.

Nonetheless, many other burnt-out vehicles appear to be non-technical vehicles, meaning that they might have been used for civilian purposes. In addition, most of the victims are dressed in civilian clothing and CIR identified several female bodies in verified footage from the location. This suggests that the victims likely include civilians.

An RSF commander known as ‘Abu Lulu’ (see section 5 on commander identification) is seen shooting at unarmed men in four of the nine videos. In three of the verified videos, he is seen speaking to unarmed men in civilian clothing lying or sitting on the ground (14 men in total), before he and other men in RSF uniforms fire their rifles at them (for example in a video posted to a pro-RSF Telegram channel). The fourth verified video, posted to a pro-SAF X account, shows him firing from the berm at a still moving body lying in a bush. This video is filmed by an individual who is also seen in a fifth video posted by a pro-SAF X account, where he executes a man lying on the ground.[2]

Sexual violence and hate speech

Indicators of conflict-related sexual violence

Although CIR has not seen or verified any footage depicting conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), analysis of other footage from El Fasher shows potential proxy indicators of CRSV.

As identified in Bellingcat’s guidance on recognising Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in open-source research, separation of men and women in conflict settings can serve as an early warning sign of CRSV. When armed actors or authorities deliberately separate women and men—such as in detention sites or areas under their control—it can indicate that women and girls are being isolated for sexual abuse or assault. In footage reviewed by CIR, including scenes of detentions, only men are visible, with no women (or children) present. This absence may suggest deliberate separation, raising concern that sexual violence could be occurring or is being prepared for. While separation alone does not prove CRSV, it is a recognised risk indicator.

In addition, in verified footage showing RSF commander Abu Lulu, he can be heard saying: “There’s one [woman] they call Umm Falaga, I’m [looking for her].” ‘Umm Falaga’ translates as “the woman with a gap between her teeth”. Such statements and the singling out of women are also indicators of potential CRSV.

Combined with pattern analysis of reports from other areas under RSF control and the likelihood that a large part of the population remains in the city, this raises grave concern for women trapped in El Fasher.

Hate speech and incitement to violence

CIR observed instances of humiliating treatment by the RSF towards detained individuals in multiple videos, as well as incitement to violence and hate speech by RSF supporters online. While it is difficult to verify perpetrator intent, analysis of common narratives by RSF fighters and their supporters sheds light on possible motives.

Some of these instances illustrate the unfounded accusations that all men captured by the RSF are accused of collaborating with or being supportive of the SAF, a common allegation used to justify their detention and execution by RSF. In one video posted to Facebook on 27 October, a RSF fighter coerces detainees at gunpoint to state “we’re all militants” before executing them. [3]

In other videos, men are made to praise the RSF. On 29 October, a pro-SAF Telegram channel posted a video showing fighters coercing three detained individuals in civilian clothing to praise the RSF, make animal sounds, and recite, “Abu Lulu is my master” and “[Unit] 145 rise” before shooting them. It is important to also note here that humiliation of detainees can also be an early warning indicator of CRSV, as per Bellingcat’s guidance on red flags.

CIR also observed the use of ethnic slurs directed at individuals in civilian clothing fleeing from El Fasher. On 27 October, a pro-SAF Telegram channel posted a video showing individuals being shot at from the back by RSF fighters in a moving vehicle. The man filming can be heard shouting:

“[Shoot] them (x4), [shoot] them man, [shoot] them. (unintelligible) f*ck their mothers those people. […] Just [shoot] them, beat them, Nuba sons of b*tches”

While the term ‘Nuba’ refers to ethnic groups from the Nuba Mountains, CIR observed it being widely used by RSF fighters as a derogatory term for non-Arabs in Darfur.

Commander identification

CIR identified six RSF commanders present at the SAF 6^th Infantry Division base on the day of the takeover, based on a verified video posted to the RSF’s official Telegram channel on 26 October. The video shows Abdul Rahim Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy commander of the RSF, alongside three commanders: Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Abu Nashuk, the RSF commander for the North Darfur section, and Waleed Yusef Wahal and Hussain Abo Jalak (figure 10). Based on their presence at the 6^th Infantry Division base, it is likely that they were aware of RSF attacks on civilians across El Fasher.

CIR furthermore identified Yassin Ahmed, an RSF military correspondent, and RSF field commander Tijani Ibrahim Moussa Mohamed (known as ‘Al Zeir Salem’) (figure 11), who appeared just outside the SAF base.

Al Zeir Salem also appeared in a video shared to Facebook by a pro-RSF account on 26 October, in which he can be seen addressing a large group of detained individuals in civilian clothing (figure 12). Edris Kafuti, another RSF field commander, was seen alongside Al Zeir Salem. He was identified by cross-referencing a video posted to TikTok by Kafuti himself on the same day (figure 12).

Lastly, in a video posted to Telegram by a pro-RSF account, CIR identified RSF commander Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam (‘Abu Lulu’) at the killing site near the berm northwest of El Fasher (see section 2). In the video, he can be heard making threats that the RSF will start advancing towards the Northern State (figure 13). Abu Lulu also appeared in six videos from the same location: two verified videos posted by a pro-SAF Facebook influencer and X account, firing at bodies on the ground, and in four other videos executing individuals in civilian clothing.

The videos of Abu Lulu executing people circulated widely and generated a lot of attention online. On 30 October, the RSF published a statement on Telegram claiming that Abu Lulu had been arrested following an investigation into attacks on civilians. The claim was posted together with a picture showing Abu Lulu in hand cuffs, dressed in a clean uniform and surrounded by masked RSF fighters. CIR has not yet been able to confirm whether this claim is true or if Abu Lulu has been released since, but continues to monitor the internet for sightings.

CIR also observed RSF supporters glorifying violent acts committed by RSF commander Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam (‘Abu Lulu’) online. Abu Lulu’s actions at the ambush site included the execution of detained and injured individuals.

For instance, on 27 October, a pro-RSF Facebook account shared an AI-generated image of Abu Lulu in pilot uniform with the caption “Abu Lulu for Travel and Tourism” (figure 9). Other users shared the same image with captions referencing him sending people to “Ali Karti’s heaven.”[1]

Another pro-RSF account on Facebook shared an AI-generated image on 27 October depicting Abu Lulu as a copper statue (figure 9), with the caption reading:

“Soon, a statue of Abu Lulu. To remind our children about the championships of Abu Lulu against the Toroboro[2] of armed looting, the Shawayga[3] the remnants of the Egyptian colonialism, and the Shukriya[4].”

These images have been widely circulated on platforms like X, Facebook, and TikTok, featuring captions that celebrate Abu Lulu’s violent acts as acts of heroism.

[1] CIR archived the social media posts, hyperlinks and archived contents available upon request.

[2] CIR archived the social media posts, hyperlinks and archived contents available upon request.

[3] CIR can share an archived version of this hyperlink on request

[4] Ali Ahmed Karti is a Sudanese politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs between 2010 and 2015 under ousted president Omar al-Bashir. Karti is now serving as the leader of the Sudanese Islamic Movement and has been accused by RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo of pulling the strings in the SAF.

[5] Toroboro is a slang term used to refer to non-Arab rebel groups in Darfur.

[6] Shawayga (plural), or Shaygiya is a tribe based in the Northern state.

[7] Shukriya is a tribe based in eastern Sudan in the wider Butana region located across Gezira, Kassala, and Gedaref states.