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Geneva – News Agencies
Sudan’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission said in a new report that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in northern Sudan, pointing to evidence of genocide.
The campaign took place in the El-Fasher area, and the mission stated on February 19 that the evidence presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed.
Mohamed Chande Othman, head of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, said: “The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leadership show that the crimes committed in and around El-Fasher were not random excesses of war.”
He added: “They were part of a planned and organized operation that bears the defining characteristics of genocide.”
According to the United Nations, the ongoing armed conflict began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with other warring parties involved.
The report, titled “Hallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher,” found that genocidal intent is the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the RSF’s systematic acts.
Ethnically Targeted Killings
These include patterns of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, destruction, and public statements explicitly calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur.
The report notes that racial and ethnic slurs were used during widespread, systematic, and coordinated acts of rape, including numerous cases of gang rape and other forms of sexual violence.
“The selective targeting of Zaghawa and Fur women and girls, while women perceived as Arab were often spared, underscores the discriminatory and destructive purpose of the violence,” the report said.
The report quotes a survivor recalling an RSF member saying: “These are slaves. Kill them, destroy them, rape them.”
Based on interviews with more than 140 victims and witnesses conducted in Sudan’s Northern state and eastern Chad in late 2025, the Human Rights Office documented over 6,000 killings in the first three days of the RSF offensive on El-Fasher, followed by an 18-month siege of the city.
The report estimates that at least 4,400 people were killed within El-Fasher during those few days, and more than 1,600 others along escape routes while fleeing. The actual death toll during the week-long offensive is believed to be significantly higher.
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk said on February 13 after visiting the area: “The wanton violations perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militias in the final offensive on El-Fasher underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence.”
He called for a credible and impartial investigation to establish criminal responsibility, including that of commanders and other superiors.
Fact-Finding Mission expert Mona Rishmawi said: “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.”
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Geneva – News Agencies
Sudan’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission said in a new report that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in northern Sudan, pointing to evidence of genocide.
The campaign took place in the El-Fasher area, and the mission stated on February 19 that the evidence presented to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed.
Mohamed Chande Othman, head of the Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, said: “The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leadership show that the crimes committed in and around El-Fasher were not random excesses of war.”
He added: “They were part of a planned and organized operation that bears the defining characteristics of genocide.”
According to the United Nations, the ongoing armed conflict began on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, with other warring parties involved.
The report, titled “Hallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher,” found that genocidal intent is the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the RSF’s systematic acts.
Ethnically Targeted Killings
These include patterns of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, destruction, and public statements explicitly calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur.
The report notes that racial and ethnic slurs were used during widespread, systematic, and coordinated acts of rape, including numerous cases of gang rape and other forms of sexual violence.
“The selective targeting of Zaghawa and Fur women and girls, while women perceived as Arab were often spared, underscores the discriminatory and destructive purpose of the violence,” the report said.
The report quotes a survivor recalling an RSF member saying: “These are slaves. Kill them, destroy them, rape them.”
Based on interviews with more than 140 victims and witnesses conducted in Sudan’s Northern state and eastern Chad in late 2025, the Human Rights Office documented over 6,000 killings in the first three days of the RSF offensive on El-Fasher, followed by an 18-month siege of the city.
The report estimates that at least 4,400 people were killed within El-Fasher during those few days, and more than 1,600 others along escape routes while fleeing. The actual death toll during the week-long offensive is believed to be significantly higher.
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk said on February 13 after visiting the area: “The wanton violations perpetrated by the RSF and allied Arab militias in the final offensive on El-Fasher underscore that persistent impunity fuels continued cycles of violence.”
He called for a credible and impartial investigation to establish criminal responsibility, including that of commanders and other superiors.
Fact-Finding Mission expert Mona Rishmawi said: “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.”
