Sudan: Arab nations condemn RSF killings in El-Fasher as Egypt on high alert

Arab nations have condemned the wave of killings carried out this week by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s El-Fasher, after the city had been under siege for more than a year. Egypt, meanwhile, said it had raised its national state of alert.

Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia are among the countries that have slammed the abuses carried out by the RSF, as more details of the executions carried out by the group emerge.

This comes after the RSF announced on Sunday evening that it seized control of El-Fasher, the capital of north Darfur state in western Sudan, following a brutal siege – the last major city in Darfur under Sudanese army control.

In a statement on Tuesday, Saudi Arabia called on the RSF to fulfil their responsibility to civilians, expressing “deep concern and condemnation of the grave human rights violations”.

Turkey called for an immediate stop to hostilities and pressed for a “safe passage, the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid, and an end to attacks on innocent civilians”. Jordan echoed the statement, adding that there is an “urgent need to exercise restraint and implement a ceasefire to safeguard civilian lives”.

Qatar described the violations as “horrific” and stressed that there should be dialogue to try and solve the issue.

Egypt, which borders Sudan, said it is committed to “providing all possible support to help” and that it rejected “any attempts to divide the country or undermine its unity and territorial cohesion”.

The wave of criticism on Tuesday comes as rights experts have raised serious concerns over the safety of civilians in the besieged area, and as researchers from Yale University said satellite imagery showed of El-Fasher showed what appeared to be piles of dead bodies.

The RSF has restricted humanitarian aid to the area, causing widespread starvation and deaths among civilians, while rights groups have also noted a rise in sexual violence, house raids, summary executions and attacks on civilians.

A well-informed Egyptian source told The New Arab’s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, that several Egyptian agencies have been placed on high alert, including the intelligence and operations.

Reports state that the heightened state of alert in Egypt comes as the country fears potential repercussions from Sudan on the southwestern border and on smuggling routes. Cairo also fears any economic consequences the crisis may have on the country.

Egypt said in a statement on Tuesday that a phone call took place on Monday evening between the country’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdel-Aty, and the senior advisor to the US president for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs, Massad Boulos.

The pair discussed developments in Sudan and Yemen, with the statement adding that both sides emphasised the necessity of reaching an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Sudan as well as the importance of preserving the unity of Sudanese territory.

The expanding influence of the RSF could force new smuggling routes to be opened for weapons, fighters and gold from northwest Sudan into Libya, which could in turn put direct pressure on the borders with Egypt, reports state. The crisis could also create issues regarding the influx of migrants into Egypt and threaten its water security.

Since the start of the war between the Sudanese army and the RSF in April 2023, El-Fasher has been a major flashpoint and military stronghold.

Despite the UN Security Council previously issuing a resolution in 2024 to call for the end of the siege on Al-Fasher, the RSF has continued to launch attacks on the area.

Around 260,000 civilians – half of them children – remain trapped and cut off from aid and food supplies in El-Fasher, with medical care being very limited to non-existent due to the turmoil.

Communications also remain cut across the city, leaving El-Fasher in a “media blackout”, the Sudanese Journalists’ Syndicate warned.