Credited from: BBC
Amnesty International has reported that the Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their assault on El-Fasher between 2024 and 2025. The ongoing conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, has already resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and forced millions to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. The UN's independent fact-finding mission previously concluded that the 2025 attack on El-Fasher "bore the hallmarks of genocide," indicating a dire humanitarian situation, according to BBC, South China Morning Post, and Africa News.
Amnesty's report includes interviews with 247 victims and witnesses, revealing that RSF fighters systematically targeted settlements inhabited by the Zaghawa people, an ethnic group in western Darfur. The report detailed instances of widespread violence against children, including killings, abductions, forced recruitment, and sexual violence. Agnès Callamard, Amnesty's chief, stated that the situation represents a “stain on the conscience of humanity,” highlighting the urgent need for intervention, according to BBC, South China Morning Post, and Africa News.
During the final offensive on El-Fasher in October 2025, Amnesty reported that hundreds were executed, with many others tortured or detained while attempting to escape. The RSF's actions included burning homes long after residents had fled, suggesting an intent to make the areas uninhabitable as part of an ethnic cleansing effort. Such systematic violations and the apparent lack of accountability from those in authority raise significant international concerns, according to BBC, South China Morning Post, and Africa News.
The urgent calls for a ceasefire and the deployment of an international force to protect civilians have been reiterated by Amnesty. The report is part of ongoing investigations into the RSF's actions, which are claimed to be relevant to potential charges of genocide, emphasizing the critical need for immediate international action to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, as highlighted by BBC, South China Morning Post, and Africa News.