A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded that atrocities committed during the recent siege and takeover of El-Fasher, a crucial city in Sudan's western Darfur region, exhibit the definitive characteristics of genocide. This significant report, released this week, implicates the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and their allied militias in actions that appear to stem from a deliberate intention to annihilate the Zaghawa and Fur ethnic communities.
Investigators identified at least three distinct genocidal acts underpinning their conclusion: the killing of individuals belonging to a protected ethnic group, the infliction of severe bodily and psychological harm, and the calculated imposition of living conditions intended to physically destroy these communities. This assessment follows months of mounting international condemnation regarding potential war crimes and crimes against humanity occurring within Sudan's nearly three-year civil war. The conflict, which erupted in April 2023, initially arose from a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF over security sector integration. It has since escalated into a nationwide conflagration, exacerbated by deep-seated regional grievances and ethnic animosities.
According to the report, the RSF's strategy in El-Fasher involved a prolonged 18-month blockade, during which humanitarian aid was systematically denied, leading to widespread starvation. This was reportedly followed by mass killings, instances of rape, torture, enforced disappearances, and systematic humiliation. Mona Rishmawi, an expert member of the fact-finding mission, stated that the collected evidence leaves only one reasonable inference. The RSF acted with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Zaghawa and Fur communities in El-Fasher, which are the hallmarks of genocide.
The mission’s chair, Mohamed Chande Othman, underscored the premeditated nature of the RSF's actions, noting the scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leadership. This demonstrates that the crimes committed in and around El Fasher were not random excesses of war. The UN team amassed its findings through over 320 interviews with survivors, statements from RSF commanders, and corroborating evidence from verified video footage and satellite imagery. The report's findings represent the closest the UN has come to alleging genocide in Darfur during the current conflict, echoing the horrific atrocities committed by the Janjaweed militias in the early 2000s.
The implications of the UN report are far-reaching, with the United Kingdom announcing its intention to present the findings to the UN Security Council. Calls are mounting for comprehensive international criminal investigations to ensure accountability for the perpetrators and deliver justice to the victims. Simultaneously, the conflict continues to exact a brutal toll on civilians beyond Darfur, with recent drone strikes across Sudan's Kordofan region resulting in significant casualties. The international community is also being urged to cease the flow of arms that continues to fuel this devastating conflict.