UN Probe: RSF, Sudan Army Committed Crimes Against Humanity
UN fact-finding mission details murder, torture, sexual violence, and starvation tactics during RSF’s siege of El-Fasher in western Darfur
Sudan, PUREWILAYAH.COM - The United Nations fact-finding mission for Sudan has concluded that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed numerous crimes against humanity during the country’s ongoing war, particularly in their siege of El-Fasher in western Darfur.
In a report released Friday, investigators also documented war crimes by both the RSF and Sudan’s regular army. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
Mission chief Mohamed Chande Othman stated:
“Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war.”
Crimes Committed in El-Fasher
El-Fasher, home to around 300,000 people and the last major city in Darfur under army control, has been under RSF siege in an attempt to consolidate their power in the region.
According to the UN mission, RSF forces committed murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, forced displacement, and persecution based on ethnicity, gender, and political affiliation.
The report also found that the RSF and its allies used starvation as a method of warfare, depriving civilians of food, medicine, and humanitarian aid—acts that may amount to the crime against humanity of extermination.
Evidence and Testimonies
Although investigators were denied entry into Sudan, they gathered evidence through more than 250 interviews with survivors and witnesses in neighboring countries, alongside reviewing documents, videos, and other materials.
Survivors described RSF detention centers as “slaughterhouses,” where detainees were beaten to death or summarily executed.
The mission documented widespread sexual violence, including gang rape, forced marriage, and sexual slavery, particularly targeting women and girls from non-Arab communities—some as young as 12 years old.
Both Sides Accused
While the RSF was singled out for the gravest atrocities, the UN report stressed that both the RSF and Sudan’s army engaged in arbitrary arrests, torture, executions, and targeting civilians based on ethnicity or political affiliation.
Othman emphasized:
“These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.”
The findings will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council next week.
The mission has called for international mechanisms to ensure perpetrators are held accountable and that justice is delivered to victims. (PW)