A new report by Amnesty International has concluded that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity in the city of el-Fasher, North Darfur, during a series of attacks between April and June 2024. The findings prompted the British government to call for immediate international sanctions against the paramilitary group.
The report, published on Tuesday, documents what Amnesty describes as a systematic campaign of murder, rape, torture, and forced displacement directed at civilian populations. Researchers gathered testimony from over 100 survivors and analysed satellite imagery, medical records, and video footage. Their evidence points to coordinated assaults by RSF units on residential areas, hospitals, and markets.
Amnesty’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said: “The scale and brutality of the attacks in el-Fasher leave no doubt: these are crimes against humanity. The international community must act now, not when it is too late.”
The RSF, which has been locked in a brutal civil war with the Sudanese Armed Forces since April 2023, has denied the allegations. In a statement, its spokesman described the report as “baseless propaganda” and accused Amnesty of political bias.
Britain’s Minister for Africa, Lord Collins of Highbury, said London would push for sanctions at the United Nations Security Council and the Human Rights Council. “The United Kingdom condemns these atrocities in the strongest terms,” he said in a statement. “We are working with partners to impose targeted sanctions on those responsible. There must be accountability.”
El-Fasher, a city of roughly 1.5 million people, has been under siege for months. The United Nations estimates that over 300,000 residents have fled since April, with many trapped by fighting. The RSF’s siege has cut off food, water, and medical supplies, pushing the region to the brink of famine.
Amnesty’s report highlights specific incidents that it says amount to crimes against humanity: the killing of at least 150 civilians in a single day when RSF fighters stormed the eastern district; the gang-rape of dozens of women and girls in a school turned barracks; and the indiscriminate shelling of the main hospital, which killed 12 patients and three doctors.
Legal experts consulted by Amnesty said the evidence meets the threshold for crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court: a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack.
The British government’s call for sanctions comes amid growing frustration over the international community’s response to the Sudanese conflict. More than 10 million people have been displaced, making it the world’s largest displacement crisis. Yet the UN Security Council has been deadlocked, with Russia and China blocking resolutions that would impose measures on the RSF or its backers.
“The inaction has emboldened the perpetrators,” said Callamard. “Every day that passes without accountability is a green light for more atrocities.”
The RSF emerged from the Janjaweed militias that carried out a genocide in Darfur two decades ago. Its leader, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, built the force into a sophisticated military and commercial enterprise, with ties to the United Arab Emirates and Russian mercenary groups. The UAE has denied accusations of arming the RSF.
Amnesty’s report recommends that the UN Security Council refer the situation in Sudan to the International Criminal Court for investigation. It also calls for an arms embargo on both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces, which have themselves been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate bombing of residential areas.
The humanitarian situation in el-Fasher remains dire. The charity Médecins Sans Frontières reported that the last functioning hospital in the city was hit by artillery fire last week. “We are running out of supplies and staff,” said a surgeon who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal. “People are dying from wounds that could be treated if we had basic medicines.”
The United States has not yet responded to Amnesty’s report, but a State Department official said Washington was “reviewing the findings closely”. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, called for an immediate ceasefire and “unimpeded humanitarian access”.
Analysts say that the international reaction will test whether the norm against crimes against humanity still carries weight. “The RSF has committed wide scale atrocities with impunity for over a year,” said Alex de Waal, a Sudan expert at Tufts University. “This report is a stark reminder that without enforcement, international law is just words.”
