A United Nations investigation has accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups of carrying out mass killings, abductions, sexual violence and forced starvation in al-Fashir, North Darfur, as part of what it described as an intentional policy amounting to genocide.
The UN fact-finding mission said in a report that the alleged abuses occurred after the RSF besieged and captured al-Fashir, one of the last major strongholds of the Sudanese Army in Darfur, during the country’s ongoing civil war.
According to the report, survivors recounted cases of mass rape, including incidents where women and girls were allegedly assaulted in locations where the bodies of recently killed civilians, including family members, were still present.
The investigation also found that the RSF and its allies allegedly committed the war crime of starvation by maintaining a prolonged siege, restricting humanitarian access and attacking food production systems.
The RSF has denied allegations of widespread abuses throughout the conflict, accusing opponents of fabricating claims against the group.
The UN human rights chief also warned that a similar crisis could be developing around al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan State, where the office has documented alleged cases of summary executions, abductions, torture and sexual violence.
Members of the UN Human Rights Council condemned the reported abuses and established an urgent inquiry into the alleged violations in the region.
International observers have expressed concern over the risk of large-scale atrocities as the RSF continues to mobilise forces around al-Obeid, which has a population of about 500,000 people, including more than 83,000 internally displaced persons.
The UN fact-finding mission had previously concluded that attacks against non-Arab communities during the RSF takeover of al-Fashir bore signs of genocide.
The latest report, however, provides additional evidence of what it described as a systematic pattern involving killings, widespread sexual violence and deliberate starvation.
The UN urged the international community to act swiftly to prevent further humanitarian catastrophe, warning that the events recorded in al-Fashir — including the encirclement of civilians, attacks on infrastructure and restrictions on aid delivery — could be repeated elsewhere.
Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, resulting in thousands of deaths and the displacement of millions of people.
