A new report from Amnesty International alleges that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have committed crimes against humanity in the city of el-Fasher. The findings, based on months of fieldwork and survivor testimonies, detail systematic attacks on civilians, including mass executions, sexual violence, and forced displacement. The UK government has seized on the report to call for urgent UN Security Council sanctions against RSF commanders.
Sources confirm that the RSF, a paramilitary group born from the Janjaweed militias of the Darfur genocide, has been tightening its grip on el-Fasher since June. The city, a strategic hub in North Darfur, has seen waves of violence that Amnesty says amount to widespread and systematic attacks against the civilian population.
'This is not a random outbreak of violence. It is a coordinated campaign,' said a senior Amnesty investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity. 'We have documented killings of entire families, women raped in front of their children, and villages burned to the ground. The RSF is methodically destroying any opposition.'
The report names three senior RSF commanders believed to have orchestrated the attacks. Uncovered documents include financial records linking them to illicit gold and arms trafficking networks that fund the militia's operations. The UK government, which holds a temporary seat on the Security Council, has circulated a draft resolution requesting asset freezes and travel bans for these individuals.
'This is about accountability,' a Foreign Office source told me. 'The UK will not stand by while these atrocities continue. We are working with partners to ensure the Security Council acts swiftly.'
But the path to sanctions is far from clear. Russia and China, both permanent members with veto power, have previously blocked resolutions targeting the RSF. They argue that sanctions could destabilise Sudan's fragile transition to civilian rule. Meanwhile, the RSF denies the allegations, calling them 'fabricated propaganda' aimed at undermining national sovereignty.
On the ground, the situation grows more desperate by the day. Aid workers in el-Fasher report that supplies of food and medicine are running low. Thousands have fled to overcrowded camps, where the risk of cholera and measles outbreaks is high. The UN estimates that over 300,000 people have been displaced since the fighting began.
'This is a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in slow motion,' said a local doctor who has treated dozens of rape victims. 'We are running out of supplies and running out of hope.'
The Amnesty report comes as the International Criminal Court continues its investigation into war crimes in Darfur. But with the RSF now holding significant power in Sudan's political landscape, many fear that justice remains a distant prospect.
'I have covered conflicts for twenty years,' one veteran correspondent told me. 'What I have seen in el-Fasher is as brutal as anything in Syria or Myanmar. The world cannot look away this time.'
The UK is expected to formally propose the sanctions resolution within the week. Whether it will pass remains uncertain. But the message from Amnesty and the survivors is clear: the RSF's crimes must not go unpunished.
