A report released on Thursday by UN-backed human rights experts highlighted a disturbing situation in Darfur, Western Sudan, where Sudanese paramilitary forces engaged in what appears to be a campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around the city of El Fasher in October. The Rapid Support Forces (RSF), engaged in a conflict with the Sudanese military, were accused of carrying out widespread killings and other atrocities after an 18-month siege, aiming to physically destroy non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and the Fur communities.
According to the independent fact-finding mission on Sudan, several thousand civilians lost their lives during the RSF’s takeover of El Fasher, with only 40% of the city’s 260,000 residents managing to escape the onslaught, leaving thousands wounded and many unaccounted for. The conflict in Sudan, which escalated in mid-April 2023, has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, as per UN estimates, though humanitarian organizations suggest the actual toll could be significantly higher.
The RSF’s offensive in El Fasher last October was marred by severe atrocities, including mass killings, sexual violence, torture, and abductions for ransom, as detailed by the UN Human Rights Office. The report identified a systematic pattern of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, and deliberate efforts to physically destroy non-Arab communities, meeting at least three criteria outlined in the Genocide Convention.
The fact-finding team, led by Mohamed Chande Othman, a former chief justice of Tanzania, emphasized that the RSF’s actions were not isolated incidents but a premeditated and organized operation bearing the signs of genocide. The report described the harrowing experiences of El Fasher residents, particularly the Zaghawa, who faced extreme violence, including killings, rapes, and disappearances during the RSF operation.
Mona Rishmawi, a member of the fact-finding team, emphasized the urgent need for accountability for the perpetrators and stressed the importance of protecting civilians given the conflict’s expansion to other regions in Sudan. The RSF, previously associated with the Janjaweed militias, has a history of alleged atrocities and has drawn international criticism for its actions in Darfur.
The report’s findings, described as “truly horrific” by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, were brought to the attention of the UN Security Council, underlining the urgent need for international action to prevent further atrocities in Sudan. The report sheds light on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region and the critical need for accountability and protection of vulnerable populations.
