A United Nations mission has concluded that the Rapid Support Forces' 18-month siege and occupation of El Fasher shows clear "hallmarks of genocide." The devastating campaign in Sudan's North Darfur capital demonstrates systematic destruction specifically targeting ethnic communities, according to a harrowing UN report released today. The findings represent the most serious international assessment yet of the conflict's genocidal nature.
The report details the RSF's prolonged assault on El Fasher, which has become the epicenter of Sudan's worst humanitarian catastrophe in decades. UN investigators documented evidence of deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure, mass displacement of specific ethnic groups, and widespread destruction of homes and businesses belonging to targeted communities. Witnesses described systematic looting, sexual violence, and summary executions carried out along ethnic lines.
El Fasher's capture in May 2024 marked a critical escalation in Sudan's civil war, which erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF paramilitary group. The city had remained one of the last major holdouts against RSF control in the Darfur region, serving as a crucial safe haven for displaced civilians. Its fall displaced an estimated 800,000 people and cut off vital humanitarian corridors that had sustained millions of refugees.
The siege began in October 2023 when RSF forces encircled the city, trapping approximately 1.8 million civilians inside. The paramilitary group systematically targeted water treatment facilities, hospitals, and schools while blocking food deliveries and medical supplies. International aid organizations reported that starvation became a weapon of war, with malnutrition rates among children reaching crisis levels.
The UN's genocide determination carries significant legal and political weight under international law, potentially triggering obligations for member states under the Genocide Convention. The Rome Statute requires signatory countries to prevent and punish acts of genocide, creating legal pathways for international prosecution. Previous genocidal campaigns in Darfur between 2003 and 2008 killed an estimated 300,000 people and displaced 2.7 million others.
Sudan's current conflict has already created the world's largest displacement crisis, with more than 11 million people forced from their homes since fighting began. The World Food Programme estimates that 25 million Sudanese face acute hunger, while healthcare systems have collapsed across vast regions. International observers warn that current violence could surpass the devastating levels of the early 2000s genocide without immediate intervention.
The RSF, led by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, evolved from the Janjaweed militias that carried out the previous Darfur genocide under former dictator Omar al-Bashir. The group has been accused of recruiting child soldiers, using rape as a weapon of war, and deliberately targeting non-Arab ethnic groups including the Fur, Masalit, and Zaghawa communities. These tactics mirror those employed during the earlier genocidal campaigns that prompted International Criminal Court arrest warrants.
International response has remained limited despite mounting evidence of atrocities and repeated calls for intervention from human rights organizations. The African Union and regional bodies have failed to deploy meaningful peacekeeping forces, while major powers have focused primarily on diplomatic initiatives. Recent attempts at ceasefire negotiations in Jeddah and Geneva have collapsed amid continued RSF advances and military escalation.
The findings intensify pressure on the international community to move beyond humanitarian aid and diplomatic statements toward concrete action. UN officials are calling for enhanced peacekeeping measures, targeted sanctions against RSF leadership, and coordinated efforts to establish safe corridors for displaced civilians fleeing the violence. The Security Council faces mounting pressure to authorize a robust intervention force capable of protecting civilians and ensuring humanitarian access to besieged areas.