Video of ‘summary execution of civilian by RSF’ in North Darfur sparks outrage

Widespread outrage and condemnation have erupted after a video purportedly made in the North Darfur capital of El Fasher and widely shared on social media, shows what seems to be a member of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) interrogating and then summarily executing a civilian man in a hail of pistol fire.

The video, seen in its entirety by Radio Dabanga, but too graphic to republish, is difficult to verify independently, however it begins with a militiaman, armed with a clearly cocked pistol, interrogating a man in civilian clothes who is sitting on the ground.

The militiaman tells him: “I don’t want to talk much. I have never asked any hostage a question in my life with the RSF. I just kill them. But today I will ask you: tell me what happened.”

The man replies: “What is your question?”

The militiaman then asks: “Where is the head commander of the military garrison?”

The man answers: “I don’t know. I have a restaurant, that is all I do.”

At this point, the RSF member repeats the word “restaurant?” and stands up, pointing his pistol at the man. The man pleads: “Please, don’t kill me. God bless you, don’t kill me.”

The militiaman then asks about his identity. When the man states that he is from the Bargo tribe, the militiaman shoots him dead with seven shots from the pistol.

The shooter then moves off, with his companion calling “Allahu Akbar”.

Interview with the victim’s family

The Darfur Victims Advocacy Organisation said on its account on the X platform that it has conducted an interview with the victim’s family. The family reported that the deceased, Ahmed Qandul, was a restaurant owner in the Grand Market of El Fasher, but as a result of the ongoing war, his restaurant was moved to the Naivasha market.

The organisation condemned the crime as an “identity-based killing”, which is contrary to international norms and laws, calling for an urgent investigation and accountability of the perpetrators.

The RSF have been attacking the Abu Shouk Naivasha camp for three days, where the number of victims of shelling and direct elimination has reached more than 70 dead.

As reported yesterday by Radio Dabanga, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the large-scale attack, calling the repeated targeting of civilians “absolutely unacceptable”. He urged the warring parties to secure safe corridors, allow aid to flow, and agree to a humanitarian truce.

The RSF condemn and form an investigative committee

The RSF condemned the incident, declaring in a statement its categorical rejection of any behavior that violates military and moral values. It confirmed that an immediate investigation committee has begun its tasks to verify whether the aggressor is affiliated with the forces or not, pledging to hold him accountable if he is proven to belong to them, considering that what happened violates the Rapid Support Law and the directives of the leadership, which oblige them to abide by international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions on the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

The official spokesman said in the statement that the forces are committed to protecting civilians, strictly adhering to the rules of engagement and fully complying with the provisions of international humanitarian law. He also accused the army, armed movements and their intelligence agencies of “fabricating acts of representation” in order to condemn the RSF, noting that the Islamic Movement is responsible for the brutal crimes committed in Jazira, Khartoum and Kordofan, amid the silence of some Port Sudan-based media.

Widespread condemnation

The Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM) spokesman Sadiq Ali al-Nour said that what happened was a “brutal massacre” committed by the RSF against unarmed civilians who left the city of El Fasher. In a statement seen by Radio Dabanga, he explained that the forces lured the victims with a tight ambush under the pretext of transporting them to safe areas, and then forced them to repeat derogatory phrases before killing them in cold blood, and documenting the crime on video.

Other clips show RSF members killing civilians on ethnic or tribal grounds, he said, stressing that these recordings include explicit confessions by militia commanders with direct orders to liquidate civilians. The group has considered these crimes, including the bombing of health centres and ethnic cleansing, to be deliberate and systematic.

The movement strongly condemned these crimes, warning that the country is sliding into endless civil wars, and calling on the Security Council, the United Nations, the European Union, the African Union and human rights organisations to document these violations and classify the RSF as a “terrorist organisation” that threatens the stability of the region.

In the same context, the governor of the Darfur region, Minni Arko Minawi, accused the RSF of committing genocide and ethnic cleansing against certain ethnic components in the Darfur region. He denounced what he described as extending a helping hand to them in the name of a founding coalition.

He accused the whole world of watching the images of the victims and the sound of the moans of those trapped in El Fasher, without moving to stop the ongoing crimes.

The Umma Party condemns

For its part, the nationalist Umma Party condemned this crime, which it said embodies a serious escalation of violations and a blatant assault on international humanitarian law, and exposes the falsity of the RSF’ claims about its commitment to protecting civilians. In a statement, it called for the perpetrators of these crimes to be brought to justice immediately, and called on the Rapid Support Command to take full responsibility for these horrific violations, and to fulfill its pledges not to endanger the lives of innocent people.

The Coordination of the Resistance Committees of El Fasher also condemned the crime, stressing that there is no coexistence, peace and no life in the presence of the RSF, noting that no state can be built under its control and no people can live free and secure under its presence. It described the ongoing war as “a war of existence for the inherent right to life.”