The Qatari Emir has condemned the atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s El-Fasher, where over 2,000 civilians were killed, and is calling for an immediate political solution to end the conflict.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Qatari Emir, has issued a statement condemning the RSF atrocities in El-Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur state.
Al Thani is calling for an immediate political solution to end the long-standing conflict in Sudan.
“We express our collective shock at the horrific atrocities committed in the city of El-Fasher in Sudan’s Darfur region and reaffirm our condemnation of these acts in the strongest terms,” Al Thani said at the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha.
On 26 October, the RSF captured the city of El-Fasher, a city of over 250,000 people, which the UN has officially declared to be experiencing a famine.
The capital city of North Darfur state was then subject to ethnic-based massacres against civilians, which are being labelled as war crimes and genocide by many international human rights organisations.
In the span of 48 hours, 2,000 civilians were murdered by RSF fighters, including women and children, following months of siege by thousands of RSF troops who encircled the city in April 2024.
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“Sudan has endured the horrors of this conflict for over two and a half years. It is time to bring it to an end and reach a political solution that safeguards Sudan’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” the Qatari Emir said.
Qatar’s role as international peacekeeper
Qatar has been a major player in recent years in negotiating and brokering peacekeeping measures in the Middle East.
Alongside US President Donald Trump, Qatar was one of the main countries that led the efforts to bring an end to the two-year genocidal war in Gaza.
As it stands, El-Fasher has more than 250,000 civilians trapped inside it, who now face famine and targeted violence.
NGO reports and eyewitness accounts have described catastrophic atrocities committed along racial lines, as well as sexual violence and torture.
There have been growing calls for international intervention to end the crisis, and the Qatari Emir’s commitment to achieving a political solution is yet to be drafted into a concrete plan.
Sudan’s conflict is being fuelled by powerful regional actors. Egypt backs the Sudanese army, citing border security and Nile water interests, while the RSF reportedly receives substantial support from the UAE and Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.
Khartoum accuses the UAE of arming and funding the RSF, including supplying drones and foreign fighters. The UAE denies the allegations, but Sudan has filed a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing the Gulf state of complicity in genocide. Though the ICJ declined jurisdiction, the charges have intensified scrutiny of Abu Dhabi’s role.
Documents from the UN Security Council also revealed that British-made military equipment has reached the hands of RSF fighters, leading to criticism of the UK’s arms export trade.
Humanitarian groups are warning that Sudan is on the brink of total collapse, with millions displaced, cities destroyed, and famine spreading.
