Mass detentions, executions, and the glorification of violence: How the RSF seized El Fasher

Using open-source analysis, CIR has sequenced key incidents during the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher in October 2025, identifying human rights violations and linking senior RSF commanders to specific operations, detention sites, and executions. This is the first time open-source information about the RSF takeover of El Fasher has been presented in an in-depth chronological analysis.

This article contains details that some readers may find distressing. CIR has redacted most links and graphic footage due to privacy concerns or to avoid amplifying harmful content. 

Over 127,000 people were displaced from El Fasher between 26 October 2025 and 13 January 2026, and many others remain unaccounted for, according to the UN International Organisation for Migration.  

RSF forces secured control of key military installations across El Fasher on 26 October 2025, including the 6th Infantry Division base, 271st Military Division, and 154th Artillery base. Verified footage shows RSF Deputy Commander Abdulrahim Hamdan Dagalo present near the 6th Infantry Division base that day. He was identified in verified footage again on 4 November at the Saudi Hospital, suggesting his continued presence during and following the violent takeover.  

CIR’s Sudan Witness project verified multiple videos showing hundreds of individuals in civilian clothing detained by RSF members west of El Fasher on the same day. At least 600 people, predominantly adult men but including women and children too, were forcibly moved northwest in the direction of Gurnei. RSF Major Ibrahim Gibril Omer (also known as Abu Wafi) was identified addressing detainees in civilian clothing, accusing them of being SAF soldiers. 

Armed clashes and executions at the berm

On the morning of 27 October, armed clashes occurred at the berm, a defensive wall separating areas surrounding El Fasher, approximately 12 kilometres northwest of the city. Shortly after, satellite imagery and verified footage show approximately 31 vehicles destroyed and over 100 bodies scattered around the site. The majority of victims visible in footage are dressed in civilian clothing, though burned weapons are also present, suggesting armed men were among the victims. CIR verified five videos showing RSF fighters, or armed men accompanied by individuals displaying RSF insignia, executing unarmed men in civilian clothing near this location. RSF commander Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam (also known as Abu Lulu) appears in four of these videos, firing at unarmed men lying or sitting on the ground. In the days following publication of these videos, pro-RSF social media accounts shared AI-generated images glorifying Abu Lulu’s violence, depicting him as a pilot with captions referencing sending people to their deaths, and as a copper statue commemorating his actions. 

Degrading treatment and ethnic slurs

CIR documented instances of humiliating treatment and ethnic slurs used by RSF fighters towards detained individuals across multiple verified videos. In footage filmed at detention sites, RSF members are heard using derogatory terms including “slaves”, “donkeys”, and “Falangayat“, a term referring to someone perceived as a sycophant, used disparagingly against non-Arab groups native to Darfur. In one video, an unidentified RSF commander mocks detained men while describing them as fools manipulated by SAF and Joint Force leadership, stating they would “die slaves”. Another video shows fighters coercing detainees at gunpoint to praise the RSF and make animal sounds before shooting them. The repeated use of ethnic slurs and degrading treatment documented across multiple locations suggests these were not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern during the RSF takeover. 

Killings within the city

Verified footage shows RSF presence at El Fasher University on 27 October, with fighters celebrating in front of the Faculty of Medical Laboratory Science building. On 28 October, a video emerged showing executions inside this building, with at least a dozen bodies visible. CIR also verified footage showing a large gathering of men in civilian clothing at the former Children’s Hospital on 28 October and 4 November, corroborating reporting from the African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies that the site has been used as a temporary detention centre. 

Read the full investigation to see detailed evidence, including satellite imagery analysis, the verification of footage posted to social media, commander identification, and a comprehensive timeline of events.