UN Investigators Declare RSF Atrocities in Sudan's Al-Fashir as Genocide

A recent investigation by the United Nations has concluded that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) perpetrated mass killings, widespread abductions of women and girls, numerous gang rapes, and enforced starvation within a city they besieged and subsequently seized last year. These actions, carried out as part of a deliberate strategy, have been determined to constitute genocide.

The RSF, currently engaged in a civil war against the Sudanese army, committed these severe crimes in al-Fashir, located in North Darfur, following a prolonged siege. Survivors recounted horrific experiences, including being subjected to rape in rooms where the deceased bodies of recently slain civilians, some of whom were their own family members, still lay on the ground.

The UN report further established that the RSF and its allied factions committed the war crime of starvation. This was achieved through an extended siege of the city, deliberately obstructing the delivery of crucial relief supplies, and shelling vital food production infrastructure. Throughout the civil war, the RSF has consistently refuted claims of such abuses, alleging that these accounts are fabricated by their adversaries.

Adding to the grave concerns, the U.N. human rights chief issued a warning that a similar catastrophic situation is developing around al-Obeid, another major city and the capital of North Kordofan state. His office has documented consistent patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence across the surrounding region. In response, members of the U.N. Human Rights Council have condemned the escalating violence and initiated an urgent inquiry into the reported abuses there.

International observers have expressed serious apprehension about the potential for large-scale atrocities, particularly as the RSF mobilizes forces around al-Obeid, a city currently housing approximately half a million people, including over 83,000 internally displaced individuals. The fact-finding mission had previously indicated that the mass killings of non-Arab communities during the RSF's capture of al-Fashir exhibited characteristics of genocide. This latest report provides additional evidence, detailing that the widespread and systematic nature of the conduct—including extensive killings, mass rapes, and intentional starvation—was part of a planned policy.

The patterns observed in al-Fashir, encompassing encirclement, assaults on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access, and widespread abuses against non-combatants, serve as a stark caution. The international community is strongly urged to learn from these incidents and take decisive action to avert further humanitarian disasters.