The United Nations International Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan warned that the atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) during their siege and assault on the city of El Fasher in October 2025 constitute clear indicators of an ongoing trajectory toward genocide, particularly targeting Zaghawa and Fur communities in North Darfur.
In its report issued on 17 February 2026, the Mission said the RSF carried out, over an 18‑month period, a pattern of systematic violations showing “coordination, repetition, and identity-based targeting—along ethnic, gendered, and perceived political lines.” These attacks resulted in mass killings, widespread rape, torture, arbitrary detention, and the deliberate starvation of civilians.
18 Months of Siege: Starvation and the Collapse of Essential Services
The report documented that, since mid‑2024, the RSF imposed a total siege on El Fasher, blocking roads and preventing the entry of food, water, and medicine. The city’s markets, hospitals, and community kitchens were repeatedly shelled, leading to deaths caused by hunger, dehydration, and the lack of medical care.
According to the Mission, civilians were eventually forced to consume animal fodder and hides in order to survive.
“Three Days of Terror”: Massacres During the Assault
On 26 and 27 October 2025, the RSF launched a large-scale ground assault on El Fasher, during which its forces:
- Carried out mass executions at the city’s exits and at earthen berms the RSF had constructed around El Fasher.
- Killed hundreds of civilians in homes, streets, mosques, and shelters.
- Committed a large-scale massacre at the University of El Fasher, described as among the deadliest, where hundreds of men, women, and children were killed.
- Executed more than 460 patients, doctors, nurses, and caretakers inside the Saudi Hospital, before burning the bodies to conceal evidence.
The findings draw on survivor testimonies, verified visual material, and satellite imagery showing destruction, execution sites, and mass graves.
Systematic Sexual Violence: A Tool of Genocide and Social Destruction
The Mission uncovered evidence of widespread gang rape and public sexual violence committed by RSF forces against women and girls aged between 7 and 70, in homes, universities, hospitals, and along escape routes.
Some survivors were abducted and held for days, subjected to repeated rape “tantamount to sexual slavery,” the report stated.
The Mission also documented the use of explicit ethnic hate speech during the assaults, including statements such as “You must not bear children,” “We are your men now,” and “We will wipe out the Zaghawa.”
Arbitrary Detention, Torture, and Enforced Disappearance
According to the report, the RSF carried out large-scale arrests accompanied by severe torture, including burning, starvation, and racist abuse. The former Children’s Hospital in El Fasher was converted into a detention and execution facility.
Families were allegedly extorted for ransoms to secure the release of detainees, with Zaghawa individuals forced to pay the highest amounts.
Evidence of “Specific Intent” to Commit Genocide
The Mission concluded that the intensity, frequency, and structure of the crimes—combined with incitement by RSF leaders and fighters—indicate a clear intent to destroy the Zaghawa and Fur communities, in whole or in part.
It stated that three core elements of genocide were met in El Fasher:
- Killing members of the group
- Causing serious bodily and mental harm
- Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s destruction
Urgent Calls for International Action
The Mission urged the international community to:
- Impose targeted sanctions and halt arms transfers to the RSF
- Ensure unhindered humanitarian access to El Fasher
- Support the work of the International Criminal Court in Darfur
- Protect human rights defenders and humanitarian staff
- Establish new mechanisms for justice and accountability
The report stressed that the events in El Fasher mark an “unprecedented escalation” of violence in Darfur, warning that similar atrocities could recur in other regions—particularly in Kordofan—if urgent action is not taken.
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