Amnesty International has reported that fewer than 70,000 people currently remain in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur State, compared with the pre-war population of nearly one million.
In a statement marking the first anniversary of El Fasher’s fall to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the organisation said humanitarian assistance was reaching the city only in limited quantities, while humanitarian workers and civilians were under constant surveillance by RSF forces.
Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the RSF’s claims that El Fasher had become safe for civilians to return to, following the horrific massacres witnessed in the city a year ago, were “far from the truth.”
She noted that a heavy shadow of fear continued to loom over El Fasher, adding that “men and women are under constant surveillance by RSF forces and remain at continual risk of detention, torture and killing.” The organisation called for the immediate release of detainees held in El Fasher.
Callamard also stressed the need to end torture, unlawful killings and forced labour.
The RSF seized control of El Fasher on 26 October 2025. The forces have been accused of committing crimes against civilians, including crimes that the United Nations has described as potentially amounting to genocide.
