Key facts
- Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed mass killings, rapes, abductions, and forced starvation in al-Fashir, north Darfur.
- A UN probe concluded these actions constitute genocide as part of an intentional policy.
- The RSF imposed a prolonged siege on al-Fashir, impeding humanitarian access and targeting food systems.
- Survivors reported experiencing rape in rooms with deceased civilians.
- The RSF denies the allegations, claiming they are fabricated by adversaries.
A United Nations probe has concluded that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed genocide in the city of al-Fashir, north Darfur, through mass killings, abductions, widespread rape, and forced starvation. The UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan stated these actions were part of an intentional policy. Survivors recounted harrowing experiences of rape occurring amidst the bodies of slain civilians, including family members. The report detailed how the RSF and its allies imposed a prolonged siege on al-Fashir, impeding relief supplies and damaging food production systems, constituting a war crime of starvation. The RSF has denied these abuses, asserting the accounts are fabricated by its opponents. The UN human rights chief has warned of a similar unfolding catastrophe in al-Obeid, North Kordofan state, where patterns of summary executions, abductions, torture, and sexual violence have been documented. International bodies and states have expressed concerns about large-scale atrocities as RSF forces have massed around al-Obeid, which now shelters approximately half a million people, including over 83,000 internally displaced individuals. This new report builds on a previous February finding that mass killings of non-Arab communities during the RSF's capture of al-Fashir bore hallmarks of genocide. The mission's chair emphasized the need for the international community to learn from these patterns and act to prevent further catastrophes.