UN fact-finding mission concludes Sudan's RSF committed genocide in el-Fasher
The UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan concluded that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed genocide during their siege of el-Fasher, the North Darfur capital, documenting mass killings, gang rapes, deliberate starvation and attacks on civilian infrastructure. The finding moves beyond a February report that identified genocide “hallmarks,” asserting that the RSF’s systematic conduct reflected an intentional policy rather than isolated abuses.
Mission chairman Mohamed Chande Othman said the documented patterns — “encirclement, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access and widespread abuses against civilians” — “serve as a stark warning.” The mission flagged that those same tactics are now being repeated around el-Obeid, another major city encircled by RSF forces, where UN officials have warned of an unfolding catastrophe.
A formal genocide determination by a UN body does not by itself compel enforcement, but it strengthens the evidentiary basis for future prosecutions and sanctions and raises pressure on states still supplying or shielding the RSF. The force has denied the accusations, calling the accounts fabrications by its enemies.