Atrocities Haunt Darfur Again
The horrors that first brought the world’s attention to Darfur twenty years ago have returned, casting a grim shadow over the region. Once again, Darfur is experiencing widespread brutality, as villages and cities are subjected to atrocities reminiscent of the darkest days in its history. The repeat of such violence is a sobering reminder of both unresolved grievances and the world’s waning attention to crises far from its headlines.
In recent months, El Fasher—a major city—fell to the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), a powerful paramilitary group with a long legacy of violence in Sudan. The latest wave of attacks saw indiscriminate killing, with witnesses describing chaotic scenes of death as people attempted to escape. Even places of refuge, like the last functioning hospital, offered little safety as hundreds reportedly died there within a day.
Survivors’ stories capture the desperation that defines daily life for thousands in Darfur. Those able to flee recount journeys through starvation and terror, forced from their homes by relentless violence. Aid groups struggle to provide relief as the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe overwhelms limited resources and disappearing international interest.
R.S.F. fighters, descended from the infamous Janjaweed militias responsible for genocide in the early 2000s, have returned with more advanced weaponry and regional allies. Their campaign is driven not just by old ethnic tensions but by a broader power struggle for dominance in Sudan, turning Darfur into both a battleground and a symbol of unresolved ethnic and political conflicts.
The ambitions of R.S.F. leader, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan (Hemeti), have widened. No longer content to control only Darfur, he has established a rival government in South Darfur, seeking broader legitimacy and launching a national campaign for power. Meanwhile, his forces continue to commit war crimes, targeting specific ethnic groups with systematic violence, recognized by international observers and the U.S. government as acts of genocide.
The siege and subsequent fall of El Fasher highlight the desperation of those trapped in conflict. As food and medicine supplies vanished, nearly 250,000 residents were forced to choose between starvation and risking death to escape. The city’s slow collapse into famine and chaos underscores both the effectiveness and brutality of the siege.
Within El Fasher, suffering reached appalling levels. Hospitals exhausted their medicine, and doctors described feeding malnourished children with animal feed when nothing else was left. The grim situation mirrored earlier crises in camps like Zamzam, which had already suffered attacks and deprivation following R.S.F. advances.
Today’s crisis in Darfur closely replicates the terror of the early 2000s. Back then, the Janjaweed’s rampage forced tens of thousands to flee to El Fasher, seeking safety rarely found in sprawling refugee camps. Years later, even in peace, these camps remained home to hundreds of thousands unable to rebuild or return.
The current atrocities have sparked far less global outrage than those two decades ago. In the early 2000s, international celebrities and activists drew attention to Darfur, but now, global condemnation is largely contained to government officials and international organizations. The public’s diminished interest means less pressure on world leaders to intervene or provide meaningful assistance.
International diplomatic efforts, such as those led by the United States to pressure partners of the R.S.F., have proved largely ineffective. Regional actors continue to back opposing sides in Sudan’s broader conflict, ensuring that the violence in Darfur persists while prospects for peace remain uncertain.
Analysts and humanitarian workers warn that the lessons of the past are being tragically ignored. Despite efforts to raise the alarm, the world’s failure to act has allowed the cycle of atrocities to continue, with Darfur once again becoming a symbol of unchecked suffering and political indifference.
As Darfur endures a second wave of large-scale violence and neglect, the future appears bleak for its people. The once-promising calls of “never again” have given way to the bitter reality that, in Darfur, history is not only repeating—it is intensifying. The ongoing tragedy stands as a stark reminder of the world’s collective shortcomings in preventing and responding to mass atrocities.
