A comprehensive United Nations investigation has concluded that Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed systematic atrocities during their capture of el-Fasher in October that demonstrate clear indicators of genocide. The report documents a pattern of large-scale crimes targeting specific ethnic groups in North Darfur’s capital.
The UN mission established that the RSF’s offensive displayed three fundamental elements of genocide under international law: mass killings of protected groups, intentional infliction of severe physical and psychological harm, and deliberate creation of conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction. The investigation specifically identified the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa communities as primary targets, noting these groups received protected status under the Rome Statute during previous ICC proceedings against former president Omar al-Bashir.
Evidence reveals the RSF implemented a coordinated strategy of extermination through multiple mechanisms. The paramilitary forces besieged el-Fasher for eighteen months, systematically cutting off food, water, medical supplies and humanitarian assistance while conducting relentless attacks on civilian infrastructure. Drones and heavy weapons targeted communal kitchens, medical facilities and places of worship, including a dawn prayer attack on Al-Safiya Mosque that killed approximately 70 civilians, including 11 children.
The report details how RSF fighters employed explicit genocidal language, with survivors recounting statements such as “We want to eliminate anything black from Darfur” and “We will carry out extermination against you, an extermination like what we did to Masalit.” The forces constructed earthen berms and trenches to trap civilians without adequate sustenance, leading to widespread starvation where residents resorted to eating animal fodder and tree leaves.
During the actual capture of the city between October 24-26, the RSF engaged in indiscriminate killings, including executions at checkpoints where men were separated from women and children. Fighters recorded themselves executing civilians while chanting racist slogans and using ethnic slurs. The notorious commander known as Abu Lulu personally conducted executions, with video evidence showing him shooting a pregnant woman seven times in the abdomen after inquiring about her pregnancy term.
The investigation further documented systematic sexual violence targeting women and girls aged 7-70 from non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa. Victims reported gang-rapes, sexual slavery, and brutal physical assaults, often conducted in front of family members. The mission confirmed cases of women being abducted and subjected to repeated rape over multiple days, with many remaining missing.
The UN has called for immediate international intervention to halt the violence and bring perpetrators to justice, emphasizing that the documented crimes represent some of the most severe violations of international law witnessed in recent conflicts.
