Amnesty International has formally accused Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing crimes against humanity in the city of el-Fasher, North Darfur, following a three-day assault in August that left at least 80 civilians dead. In a detailed report published today, the human rights organisation documented what it described as a systematic campaign of murder, sexual violence, and forced displacement targeting the civilian population. Witnesses described RSF fighters storming residential areas, opening fire on unarmed residents, and looting properties.
The report also alleges that the RSF deliberately targeted hospitals and humanitarian aid convoys, effectively starving the city of medical supplies and food. Amnesty’s secretary general, Agnès Callamard, said the evidence pointed to a coordinated effort to terrorise and subjugate the civilian population, amounting to crimes against humanity under international law. The RSF, which emerged from the Janjaweed militias implicated in the Darfur genocide two decades ago, has denied the allegations, calling them politically motivated.
However, satellite imagery and testimonies from survivors corroborate multiple attacks. The United Nations has called for an independent investigation, but the Sudanese Armed Forces, which has been locked in a brutal civil war with the RSF since April 2023, has shown little willingness to cooperate. The conflict has already displaced over 7 million people and created what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
El-Fasher, a key trading hub in North Darfur, has changed hands several times since the war began, and its civilian population remains trapped between the two warring factions. Amnesty’s report marks the most comprehensive international condemnation of the RSF’s conduct in Darfur, and human rights advocates are urging the International Criminal Court to open a formal investigation.
