Amnesty International, on Tuesday, November 25, has accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing war crimes during their recent takeover of el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur.
The organization’s latest report details graphic accounts of extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, and hostage-taking as RSF fighters seized the city after an 18-month siege. Survivors described streets littered with bodies and widespread assaults on civilians, prompting Amnesty to warn that the violence may amount to crimes under international law. The RSF has acknowledged some violations but has offered no substantive response to the new allegations.
Testimonies from survivors who fled el-Fasher paint a harrowing picture of targeted killings, mass rapes and forced disappearances. Women and girls recounted brutal assaults during desperate attempts to escape the city, with some victims—such as a 14-year-old girl—dying from complications shortly after. Humanitarian agencies, including the World Health Organization, reported hundreds killed in attacks on medical facilities, while health workers were abducted by armed groups. Amnesty further criticised the United Arab Emirates for allegedly enabling RSF operations, a charge the UAE has repeatedly denied.
The revelations come as international mediators intensify efforts to halt Sudan’s two-year-old conflict, which has displaced more than 14 million people and claimed over 40,000 lives. A proposed three-month humanitarian truce, followed by a nine-month political roadmap, has yet to gain full acceptance from either side.
Sudan’s army chief has rejected the deal, calling it biased, while RSF commander Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo has publicly agreed to the humanitarian pause. The conflict, rooted in a bitter power struggle, continues to devastate communities—particularly in Darfur, a region still scarred by earlier genocidal violence.