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 UN Fact-Finding Mission highlights accusations of 'murder, torture, enslavement, rape, sexual slavery, sexual violence, forced displacement, and persecution on ethnic, gender, and political grounds'. Additionally, the RSF and the regular army have both been implicated in broader evidence of war crimes, with both parties denying wrongdoing amidst the ongoing civil war.
Civilian targeting has been a prominent feature of the conflict, with the report emphasizing that both factions have employed deliberate strategies including attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detentions, and torture. Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, stated, 'These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.'
The RSF's siege of el-Fasher has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, with starvation tactics employed as a form of warfare, possibly constituting the crime of extermination. In April, the RSF stormed the Zamzam refugee camp, displacing tens of thousands of already vulnerable individuals amid a declared famine.
As the RSF and the Sudanese army clash, the situation in el-Fasher remains critical, being the army's last significant foothold in Darfur. The US has labeled the RSF's actions as potential genocide against Darfur's non-Arab populations and has imposed sanctions on army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for his role in civilian casualties and the use of starvation as a weapon.
The report urges the international community to instate an arms embargo and to establish a judicial process to hold those responsible accountable. Othman added, 'Civilians are paying the highest price in this war,' as tens of thousands have died and around 13 million have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict.
Civilian targeting has been a prominent feature of the conflict, with the report emphasizing that both factions have employed deliberate strategies including attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detentions, and torture. Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, stated, 'These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.'
The RSF's siege of el-Fasher has led to a dire humanitarian crisis, with starvation tactics employed as a form of warfare, possibly constituting the crime of extermination. In April, the RSF stormed the Zamzam refugee camp, displacing tens of thousands of already vulnerable individuals amid a declared famine.
As the RSF and the Sudanese army clash, the situation in el-Fasher remains critical, being the army's last significant foothold in Darfur. The US has labeled the RSF's actions as potential genocide against Darfur's non-Arab populations and has imposed sanctions on army chief Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan for his role in civilian casualties and the use of starvation as a weapon.
The report urges the international community to instate an arms embargo and to establish a judicial process to hold those responsible accountable. Othman added, 'Civilians are paying the highest price in this war,' as tens of thousands have died and around 13 million have been forced to flee their homes due to the ongoing conflict.
