SLAUGHTER IN SUDAN AND THE SHADOWY TRAIL TO THE UAE

In Darfur, at least twice as many people have been killed than in Gaza since 2023. As the crisis looks likely to worsen, one nation has questions to answer over its links to the atrocities.

- By Robert Fox

On October 26, fighters of the Arab militia Rapid Support Forces (RSF) finally overran the strategic capital of Darfur, El Fasher, after 550 days of siege. Then ensued what the UN has called a "genocidal massacre". Men, women and children were systematically raped, tortured, mowed down and buried in mass graves hastily dug by bulldozers. Most were of the African Zaghawa tribe.

Amy Pope, director general of the UN's International Organization for Migration, has described Sudan as "the largest refugee displacement crisis in the world". Yet most of the world isn't taking much notice.

At least 12 million people have been displaced, uprooted and terrorised - some estimates put the figure higher at about 15m. This is one third of Sudan's population, most of whom are untraceable and unreachable by aid agencies. At least two million are at the point of starvation. Since April 2023 and the outbreak of the latest bout of civil war, at least 150,000 Sudanese have been killed - roughly twice the number estimated killed in Gaza.

A number of foreign players have been arming and funding the latest onslaught - and the UAE has been identified as a principal RSF backer.

The images of the pillage of El Fasher reaching the outside world are gruesome. Some of the worst of massacre and rape have come from selfies by the marauders of the RSF militias themselves.

Graphic accounts have been given by some of the 70,000 refugees reaching Tawila rescue centre. "There are at least 70,000 still inside El Fasher," said Dora Oigu on a podcast from the camp. "But we just don't know what has happened to about 200,000 more." She recounted that 460 patients, doctors, nurses and staff had been murdered inside the hospital on the refugee route out of the city. RSF guerrillas have been filmed bulldozing mass graves and trying to conceal bodies - the lake of blood could be seen from space.