In brief
Amnesty International has released a report alleging that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out widespread crimes against humanity—including murder, rape, forced displacement and ethnic cleansing—during their twenty‑month siege of el‑Fasher in western Sudan. The report cites over 200 survivors, many of whom were children, who describe systematic targeting of non‑Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa. Aligned with UN warnings that the conflict could amount to genocide, Amnesty calls for an immediate ceasefire and international accountability. The RSF denies the allegations and claims the scale of the violations has been exaggerated.
Barbara Plett Usher, African correspondent Wycliffe Muia
Sudanese paramilitaries committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their campaign to seize the city of el‑Fasher last year, a rights group report says. The siege and takeover of the city in the western region of Darfur marked one of the bloodiest episodes in Sudan’s civil war between Sudan’s army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The RSF’s crimes included murder, forcible transfer, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, other forms of sexual violence, enslavement, extermination and persecution, according to a new Amnesty investigation released on Wednesday.
Amnesty researchers reviewed 89 open‑source videos and satellite imagery, finding many victims targeted due to their ethnic identities. Arab fighters from the RSF were accused of targeting local non‑Arab communities, often using derogatory slurs.
Women, children and men were subjected to sexual violence, kidnapping, forced recruitment and mass killings. A 17‑year‑old survivor described being tied, beaten with sticks and an AK‑47, then shot in the leg by a camel‑riding attacker.
Amnesty stresses that the evidence may be relevant to the crime of genocide. The RSF has acknowledged some violations but insists the scale is exaggerated. The UN has warned early last year that the assault bore the “hallmarks of genocide.”
More than 6,000 people were killed in just three days of the assault on el‑Fasher, the UN said. The conflict has displaced over 14 million people and left 28 million facing acute hunger, aid agencies report.
Additional reporting by Kaleb Moges
