UN Report Confirms RSF Genocide in el-Fasher with Systematic Killings and Sexual Violence

A UN Fact-Finding Mission determined that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group orchestrated a genocidal campaign in el-Fasher, including mass killings, sexual violence, and deliberate starvation of civilians.

By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out acts of genocide in the western city of el-Fasher, according to a United Nations investigation, committing mass killings, gang rapes, and deliberate starvation as part of a coordinated policy. The UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan concluded its findings on Wednesday, expanding on a February report that had previously identified genocidal indicators.

The report highlighted survivor testimonies describing sexual violence in rooms where the bodies of recently killed civilians, including family members, remained. It also documented the RSF’s use of prolonged sieges, attacks on food systems, and obstruction of humanitarian aid as war crimes.

RSF spokespersons have denied the allegations, claiming the accounts are fabricated by adversaries and countering with accusations of misconduct against opposing forces. The conflict, now in its third year, has drawn global attention to Khartoum and Darfur, though recent focus has shifted to el-Obeid, where the UN warns of escalating atrocities amid intensified RSF operations.

The mission’s chairman, Mohamed Chande Othman, emphasized that the patterns in el-Fasher—such as encirclement, civilian infrastructure attacks, and systematic abuses—pose a “stark warning” to el-Obeid, home to approximately 500,000 people, including 83,000 internally displaced. He urged the international community to act to prevent further catastrophe.

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