“I think this is the worst place on Earth now,” Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council spoke on the BBC’s The World at One about the current humanitarian crisis in Sudan. “11 million people are displaced from their homes, it’s the largest displacement crisis, the biggest humanitarian emergency, the largest emergency on Earth today.”

Sudan’s el-Fasher city seemed to have taken to the spotlight as recent footage circulated of military personnels, deemed to be of Sudan’s Rapid Support Force, performing mass executions on people – many of whom are believed to be innocent civilians. The gunshots and violence of these videos, many of which are confirmed to be mass killings of civilians, sparked attention on the ongoing violence in Sudan. Specifically, Abu Lulu, one of the alleged commanders of the violence en masse, has been detained by the RSF for investigation of such killings.

After an 18-month siege by the RSF, control of the city has been taken by the armed group. “An epicentre of suffering, hunger, violence and displacement,” UN chief António Guterres described el-Fasher and its surrounding areas

The situation dates back to 2019, when Sudanese welcomed a new chapter of democracy after the ousting of former President Omar al-Bashir following a series of protests happening since Jan. 2018. However, in 2021, a political takeover by the Sudanese military disrupted the nation’s democratic transition.

During post-coup days, when negotiations between the then two major armed groups, the military Sudanese Armed Forces (led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, also referred to as Hemedti) reached multiple disagreements, and violent clashes, the Sudanese civil war in 2023 came as a result. Caught between competing armed powers, Sudanese civilians suffered violence from both groups, with recent events in el-Fasher bringing more global attention to the drastic situation.

Recent satellite-imagery research by Yale University’ Humanitarian Research Lab discovered several light-coloured clusters and reddish discoloration across the area of el-Fasher, hinting at potential mass killings happening in the city. While less than 6000 people had fled the city to the nearest refugee camp Tawila by Nov. 2nd, reported Shashwat Saraf, Sudan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, there remained thousands of others still trapped in the city, vulnerable to the ongoing violence of the civil war.

The recent detainment of a Sudanese journalist Muammar Ibrahim by the RSF in el-Fasher has been alarming to those concerned about freedom of press in this conflict region. According to The Sudan Times, Ibrahim is facing charges of “defamation” due to his description of the RSF as “Janjaweed” or “militia.” “#el-Fasher, may God keep its people… pray for us,” read his last post on X (formerly Twitter) as of now, uploaded on Oct. 26.

Meanwhile, conditions in Sudanese refugee camps have become increasingly harsh, as a larger influx of people seek protection in these overcrowded areas. A report by the IPC Global Famine Review has concluded possible Famine (IPC Stage 5) happening at Zamzam camp (near El Fasher town) and nearby camps (Abu Shouk and Al Salam camps) since 2024. Refuge-seekers from el-Fasher in recent days came to Tawila, many went on-foot amid violence and starvation, with traumatic accounts of hunger, corpses-filled streets, and shellings.

Darfur has also been no stranger to mass violence. During the 2003-2005 period, a similar account of mass displacement was recorded in the area, during which charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes are investigated by the International Criminal Court. Now, once again, the area became vulnerable to such violence – the only difference: how videos of its alleged perpetrators inflicted violence upon people caused immense commotion in digital spaces.