Sudan Rocked by Genocide Case as Abductions and Killings Uncovered
The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan are facing accusations of genocide after a United Nations investigation uncovered patterns of mass murder, rape, the abduction of women and children, and the deliberate creation of famine during the siege of al-Fashir in North Darfur. The UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan concluded that the series of atrocities was not random but part of a planned policy.
“The patterns we documented in al-Fashir, including the siege, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access, and widespread violations against civilians, serve as a stark warning,” said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan. According to the report, the RSF, which is fighting the Sudanese military in a civil war, committed various crimes after capturing al-Fashir following a prolonged siege last year. Survivors told investigators they were raped in rooms still filled with the bodies of civilians, including members of their own families.
The investigation also found that the RSF and its allied groups used starvation as a weapon of war through the prolonged siege of the city, obstructing the distribution of humanitarian aid and attacking food production systems, thereby worsening conditions for civilians. These findings reinforce a previous UN report from February, which stated that the mass killings of non-Arab communities during the RSF’s seizure of the territory bore the characteristics of genocide. The latest report states that the UN has obtained additional evidence that the large-scale killings, mass rape, and deliberate starvation were part of a systematic pattern.
Despite the findings, the RSF has denied all accusations, claiming the UN report was fabricated by hostile parties and levelling similar accusations against their opponents in the conflict. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has warned that a similar situation is potentially unfolding around the city of al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, where patterns of extrajudicial executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence have been documented. The UN Human Rights Council earlier this week also condemned the escalating violence in the region and decided to establish an emergency investigation into the alleged violations. The United Kingdom, along with other nations, has warned of the risk of large-scale atrocities as RSF forces deploy around al-Obeid, a city currently home to approximately 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 internally displaced persons. Othman stressed that the findings in al-Fashir must serve as a warning to the international community, urging action to prevent further catastrophe.