Sudan's Rapid Support Forces Accused of Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity in El-Fasher

El-Fasher, Sudan – Mounting evidence and expert analyses paint a grim picture of systematic atrocities committed by Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during and after their seizure of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in late October 2025. International bodies, including the United Nations and Amnesty International, have detailed widespread mass killings, ethnically targeted violence, sexual enslavement, and deliberate starvation tactics, leading to accusations that the RSF's actions bear the "hallmarks of genocide" and constitute crimes against humanity. The horrific events in El-Fasher represent a profound escalation in the conflict gripping Sudan, with devastating consequences for civilian populations and profound implications for regional stability.

The Siege and Fall: A City's Descent into Horror

El-Fasher, a city that once hosted an estimated 1.5 million people including 800,000 internally displaced persons, endured an 18-month siege by the RSF, beginning around May 2024. This blockade severely restricted the entry of food, medical supplies, and humanitarian aid, systematically weakening the civilian population. During this period, reports documented a rapidly deteriorating humanitarian crisis, with United Nations convoys even coming under drone attacks.

The final offensive commenced on October 26, 2025, culminating in the city's fall after the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) withdrew on October 27. What followed was a period of intense violence described by witnesses as a massacre. Hundreds were executed as they attempted to flee, often encountering a 57-kilometer network of earthen berms designed to trap them. Survivors reported seeing hundreds, and in some cases over a thousand, dead bodies in the streets and near these berms, with many children among the killed. Reports from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, documented over 6,000 killings in the first three days alone, though the overall death toll during the offensive is believed to be significantly higher, with some estimates suggesting over 60,000 fatalities. One incident on October 26 saw approximately 500 people killed when RSF fighters opened fire with heavy weapons on a crowd sheltering at Al-Rashid dormitory in El-Fasher University.

Documenting Atrocities: A Pattern of Genocide

Amnesty International, in a report released on July 1, 2026, concluded that the RSF committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El-Fasher. These accusations are echoed by a UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, which stated in February 2026 that the RSF's actions bore the "hallmarks of genocide" against non-Arab Indigenous ethnic groups, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur communities. The mission cited ethnically targeted killings, widespread sexual violence, and the deliberate imposition of conditions calculated to bring about the physical destruction of these groups as evidence.

Specific atrocities meticulously documented include murder, forcible transfer, imprisonment, torture, sexual violence, sexual slavery, enslavement, extermination, and persecution. Witnesses and medical staff reported the indiscriminate use of drones, artillery, guns, and whips, with attacks deliberately targeting civilians. Non-Arab men and boys, particularly those under 50, were summarily executed after being accused of collaborating with the SAF. Sexual violence was perpetrated on a massive scale, with reports of rape and gang rape targeting women and girls ranging from seven to 70 years old, including pregnant women. Survivors recounted being subjected to severe humiliation and abuse, often accompanied by derogatory terms like "falangay," which denotes slavery or servitude, indicating a clear ethnic motive. The destruction of essential infrastructure, such as the Saudi Maternity Hospital where nearly 500 patients and companions were reportedly killed, further compounded the humanitarian catastrophe.

Roots of Violence: The Janjaweed Legacy

The current crisis in El-Fasher is deeply rooted in Sudan's volatile history, particularly the conflict in Darfur. The Rapid Support Forces emerged in 2013 from the notorious Janjaweed militias, which were responsible for widespread atrocities, ethnic cleansing, and genocide in Darfur during the early 2000s under the former government of Omar al-Bashir. Many of the same individuals who led the Janjaweed now hold positions within the RSF, perpetuating a pattern of violence, particularly against non-Arab communities.

The conflict between the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) erupted in April 2023, stemming from a power struggle following a military coup in 2021. The RSF, initially formed to combat rebel groups, grew into a powerful paramilitary force that eventually challenged the national army. Their capture of El-Fasher, the last SAF stronghold in Darfur, has consolidated their control over the entire region, raising concerns about the potential de facto partition of Sudan.

Global Outcry and Call for Accountability

The international community has responded to the atrocities in El-Fasher with widespread condemnation and calls for urgent action. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk emphasized that "persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence" and called for credible investigations and accountability. The UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan has stressed that the scale, coordination, and public endorsement by senior RSF leadership demonstrate that the crimes were not random acts of war but part of a planned and organized operation.

The Yale School of Public Health's Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) played a critical role in providing early warnings and evidence, using satellite imagery and open-source information to document mass killings and other atrocities against non-Arab populations during the siege. Their reports warned of a potential genocidal massacre if El-Fasher fell, a prediction that humanitarian experts now consider to have tragically materialized.

In response, the United States Department of the Treasury sanctioned three RSF commanders in February 2026 for their roles in the "horrific campaign of ethnic killings, torture, starvation, and sexual violence" in El-Fasher. Amnesty International and other humanitarian organizations are calling for an immediate nationwide ceasefire and the urgent deployment of an international protection force to safeguard civilians, warning that without such intervention, the atrocities will continue. France has also condemned the RSF offensive, urging both sides to engage in negotiations for a ceasefire.

The fall of El-Fasher has intensified Sudan's humanitarian crisis, already one of the world's worst, with over 12 million people forcibly displaced and tens of millions facing acute hunger across the country. UN agencies and humanitarian groups continue to decry the situation, highlighting aid blockages and the risks of trafficking, sexual violence, and child recruitment, particularly for those fleeing El-Fasher to camps like Tawila.

The events in El-Fasher underscore a dire humanitarian and political crisis in Sudan, with profound implications for peace and stability. The consistent and widespread accusations of genocide and crimes against humanity demand sustained international attention and robust action to protect civilians, ensure accountability for perpetrators, and prevent further escalations of violence that threaten to tear the nation apart. Without a concerted global effort, the suffering of the Sudanese people risks being prolonged and the fabric of the nation irrevocably damaged.