Our Task Consists of Only Eliminating' - How The Sudanese Brutal Paramilitary Group Carried out a Massacre

Caution: This Story Contains Explicit Details of Shootings.

Combatants laugh as they ride on the bed of a pick-up truck, speeding by a line of multiple lifeless forms and moving towards the setting Sudanese evening sky.

"Look at all this effort. Observe this mass destruction," a combatant shouts.

He beams as he directs the camera on his person and his associate combatants, their RSF badges visible: "They shall all be killed this way."

The men are exulting in a mass killing that aid workers believe resulted in the deaths of more than 2,000 individuals in the Sudanese urban center of al-Fashir in recent weeks.

An Urban Center Severed from the Outside

After maintaining the urban area under blockade for almost an extended period, from late summer the militia advanced to reinforce its control and prevent access for the surviving inhabitants.

Orbital photography show that troops started to erect a massive sand wall - a raised dirt embankment - encircling the boundaries of the city, blocking roads and preventing humanitarian assistance.

As the siege intensified, seventy-eight civilians were killed in an RSF assault on a mosque on 19 September, while the international organization said dozens more were slain in unmanned aircraft and heavy weapon bombardments on a displacement camp in fall.

Disturbing Recording Shows Defenseless Civilians Executed

At dawn on October 26th the RSF defeated the remaining military strongholds and captured the primary headquarters in the community, the headquarters of the 6th Infantry Division, as the military retreated.

One of the most disturbing recordings to emerge and studied depicted the aftermath of a mass killing at a educational facility on the west of the city, where dozens corpses were seen spread over the ground.

An older person dressed in a white tunic sat isolated amongst the corpses. The man turned to look as a militiaman carrying with a rifle walked down the staircase towards the individual. Raising his firearm, the shooter discharged a one shot at the individual, who fell to the floor motionless.

"How come is this person even alive," one fighter cried. "Shoot him."

Space-based imagery taken on 26 October appeared to verify that shootings were furthermore carried out on the thoroughfares of the city, according to a analysis released by the Yale Humanitarian Research Lab.

One eyewitness who communicated stated he had witnessed "numerous of our kin being killed - these individuals were gathered in a specific area and everyone killed."

Paramilitary Officers Seek to Implement Reputation Management

During the period that came after the massacre, paramilitary leader conceded that his fighters had carried out "violations" and stated the events would be examined.

Among those detained was following a investigation documenting his executions. Deliberately orchestrated and modified video posted on the militia's official Telegram channel reveal him being led into a prison room at a detention facility on the outskirts of the city.

Meanwhile, the paramilitary force and associated online profiles started attempting to reframe the story.

Content depicting its militiamen distributing aid to civilians were shared by various users, while the paramilitary's public relations unit published several videos purporting to show the humane handling of military prisoners of war.

In spite of the digital effort being used by the RSF, their actions in the city have sparked global condemnation.

Jason Thomas
Jason Thomas

Tech strategist and innovation consultant with over a decade of experience in digital transformation and emerging technologies.