UN probe: RSF’s El-Fasher assault bears ‘hallmarks of genocide,’ as rights mission urges urgent civilian protection
The United Nations’ independent fact-finding mission on Sudan has concluded that the Rapid Support Forces’ siege and October capture of El-Fasher in Darfur bore the “hallmarks of genocide,” documenting ethnic massacres, widespread rape and mass detentions over what survivors called “three days of absolute horror.”
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In findings presented to the UN Security Council, the mission said the scale, coordination and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leaders indicated the crimes “were not random excesses of war.” Mission chair Mohamad Chande Othman said those responsible must be brought to justice.
The team warned that “urgent protection of civilians is needed, now more than ever,” in neighboring Kordofan state, which has become a flashpoint since El-Fasher fell after an 18-month siege. The report says thousands of people—particularly from the non-Arab Zaghawa community—were killed, raped or disappeared in and around the city.
‘Genocidal intent’ and a pattern of atrocity
The mission concluded the RSF acted “with genocidal intent,” finding at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed, including killing members of protected groups and causing serious bodily or mental harm. “The RSF acted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Zaghawa and Fur communities in El-Fasher. These are the hallmarks of genocide,” said investigator Mona Rishmawi.
Since April 2023, fighting between Sudan’s army and the RSF has killed tens of thousands and displaced 11 million people, triggering what the UN calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. The UN Human Rights Council created the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan in October 2023 to begin gathering evidence of violations.
320 interviews, verified video and scenes of mass killing
Investigators interviewed 320 witnesses and victims from El-Fasher and nearby areas, including during missions to Chad and South Sudan, and authenticated 25 videos. Survivors described indiscriminate shooting, mass executions at exit points, and roads strewn with the bodies of men, women and children. The report details detention, torture, humiliation, extortion, ransom demands and disappearances.
Sexual violence was “widespread” and targeted women and girls from non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa. Victims aged 7 to 70, including pregnant women, were subjected to rape, often in front of relatives and accompanied by extreme physical brutality. In one case, a 12-year-old girl was raped by three RSF fighters after her father was killed trying to protect her; she later died of her injuries.
Rapes were reported at sites of mass killing, including El-Saudi Hospital and El-Fasher University. Witnesses recounted RSF fighters violently and publicly gang-raping at least 19 women in rooms filled with corpses, including the remains of the victims’ husbands.
Impunity and regional tensions
The mission linked the level of atrocity to the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators. It also noted the complex regional backdrop: Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno—himself Zaghawa—has been widely accused of channeling support to the RSF on behalf of its patrons in the United Arab Emirates, a dynamic that has stirred tension among Zaghawa communities across the border.
Calls for action at the Security Council
At the Security Council session, UN Under Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo said, “Strong action by the Security Council is more important than ever.” Chairing the meeting, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper called the findings “horrific,” pointing to “page after page of the most distressing accounts imaginable.”
The mission urged sustained international pressure to halt attacks on civilians, ensure accountability and expand humanitarian access as the conflict’s epicenter shifts. With Darfur’s largest city now under RSF control and Kordofan on edge, investigators warned that without immediate protection and justice, atrocities could deepen and spread.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
