A United Nations investigation into the fall of El-Fasher in western Sudan has concluded that acts committed during the city’s prolonged siege and capture may amount to genocide.
The inquiry examined events surrounding the takeover of the key Darfur city by Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which seized control in late October after an 18-month blockade. The encirclement cut off food, humanitarian aid and medical supplies, leaving civilians in increasingly desperate conditions.
According to the UN fact-finding mission, the tactics used during the siege — followed by widespread violence once the city fell — suggest a deliberate campaign against specific ethnic communities.
Investigators documented killings, sexual violence, torture, enforced disappearances and the systematic denial of humanitarian relief. The report says these abuses were directed primarily at members of the Zaghawa and Fur ethnic groups, raising concerns that they may have been carried out with intent to destroy those communities, in whole or in part.
While the findings stop short of a formal legal determination, they represent the strongest indication yet from UN investigators that genocidal crimes may have occurred in Darfur since Sudan’s conflict began in April 2023.
The war erupted as a power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF over plans to integrate the paramilitary group into the national army. It has since escalated into a nationwide conflict fuelled by longstanding ethnic tensions and local grievances.
In Darfur, militias aligned with the RSF have been accused of targeting non-Arab populations — echoing violence seen in the region two decades ago during campaigns linked to former president Omar al-Bashir.
The mission also named senior RSF figures, including commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, widely known as Hemedti, citing public statements in which aspects of the operation were acknowledged or defended.
Investigators say thousands of people were reportedly killed or went missing during the assault on El-Fasher, with RSF fighters accused of failing to distinguish between civilians and armed defenders. The report also points to the involvement of foreign fighters equipped with advanced weapons systems, though it does not identify specific states believed to be providing support.
UN officials are urging the international community to strengthen enforcement of the Darfur arms embargo, extend it nationwide and impose targeted sanctions against individuals suspected of serious violations. They have also called for greater cooperation with the International Criminal Court and the possible creation of an additional judicial mechanism to support prosecutions.
The findings are expected to feature prominently in discussions at the United Nations Security Council, where efforts to broker a humanitarian ceasefire have so far failed to halt the fighting or ease civilian suffering. Human rights experts warn that without urgent preventive action and accountability, the risk of further mass atrocities in Darfur remains high.
