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, as reported by UN investigators.
The 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.
Broader evidence of war crimes alleged against both the RSF and the Sudanese regular army has also surfaced, yet both factions deny any wrongdoing amidst the ongoing civil war.
Details revealed in the report indicate that civilians are being deliberately targeted through various means, including attacks and arbitrary detentions. Fact-Finding Mission chair, Mohamed Chande Othman, stated, These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.
Through its actions in el-Fasher, the RSF has reportedly utilized starvation as a method of warfare, potentially constituting the crime of extermination.
In April, the RSF's takeover of the Zamzam camp led to the forced displacement of tens of thousands of the world's most vulnerable people, many of whom were already suffering from famine conditions.
El-Fasher has been under siege for more than a year, remaining the Sudanese army's last major foothold in Darfur. As tensions escalate, the U.S. has accused the RSF of committing genocide against non-Arab populations and imposed sanctions on military leaders blamed for the humanitarian crisis.
The report emphasizes the necessity for an international arms embargo and the establishment of an independent judicial process to ensure justice for the victims.
Mr. Othman concluded, Our findings leave no room for doubt: civilians are paying the highest price in this war. Tens of thousands have been killed, and approximately 13 million people have been forced to flee their homes due to the conflict.
