Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have allegedly committed numerous crimes against humanity during their siege of the city of el-Fasher in Darfur, according to UN investigators. A report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission accuses the group of murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, forced displacement, and persecution on ethnic, gender, and political grounds. It also cites broader evidence of alleged war crimes by both the RSF and the regular army, with both sides previously denying any wrongdoing in the ongoing civil war.
The UN report highlighted that both factions targeted civilians through systematic attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detention, and inhumane treatment in detention facilities, including the denial of food, sanitation, and medical care.
Fact-Finding Mission chair Mohamed Chande Othman stated, These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes. The report further accused the RSF of using starvation as a method of warfare, which might amount to extermination. In April, the RSF stormed the Zamzam camp near el-Fasher, displacing tens of thousands of the world's most vulnerable populations who were already facing famine.
El-Fasher has endured a year-long siege and remains a critical foothold for the Sudanese army in Darfur. The US has accused the RSF of genocide against non-Arab populations, an allegation that the group has denied, attributing violence to local militias. The ongoing conflict, which has seen the RSF intensify attacks on el-Fasher, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced approximately 13 million people to flee their homes.
Recent research by Yale University using satellite imagery indicated that raised banks had been constructed to essentially trap civilians. The report urged the international community to enforce an arms embargo and establish an independent judicial process to ensure that the violators face justice. The findings underscore the dire humanitarian crisis, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
The UN report highlighted that both factions targeted civilians through systematic attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detention, and inhumane treatment in detention facilities, including the denial of food, sanitation, and medical care.
Fact-Finding Mission chair Mohamed Chande Othman stated, These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes. The report further accused the RSF of using starvation as a method of warfare, which might amount to extermination. In April, the RSF stormed the Zamzam camp near el-Fasher, displacing tens of thousands of the world's most vulnerable populations who were already facing famine.
El-Fasher has endured a year-long siege and remains a critical foothold for the Sudanese army in Darfur. The US has accused the RSF of genocide against non-Arab populations, an allegation that the group has denied, attributing violence to local militias. The ongoing conflict, which has seen the RSF intensify attacks on el-Fasher, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced approximately 13 million people to flee their homes.
Recent research by Yale University using satellite imagery indicated that raised banks had been constructed to essentially trap civilians. The report urged the international community to enforce an arms embargo and establish an independent judicial process to ensure that the violators face justice. The findings underscore the dire humanitarian crisis, with civilians bearing the brunt of the violence.
