UN Warns Atrocities in Sudan’s El-Fasher May Constitute International Crimes as Civilian Death Toll Mounts
GENEVA – The United Nations human rights office has issued a stark warning that atrocities committed by Sudanese Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the strategic city of El-Fasher and surrounding areas may amount to multiple crimes under international law, with emerging evidence pointing to systematic executions, mass rape, and targeted attacks on humanitarian workers and medical facilities.
The grim assessment comes as the conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary RSF enters its sixteenth month, creating what many experts describe as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises and a potential turning point in international accountability for war crimes.
A City Under Siege: The Fall of El-Fasher
El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state and a critical humanitarian hub, fell to RSF control on Sunday after weeks of intense fighting and a siege that had tightened since May 2024. The city’s capture represents not just a military victory but a humanitarian catastrophe of staggering proportions.
“New details are emerging about the atrocities committed during and after the fall of El-Fasher to the RSF,” stated Seif Magango, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, during a press briefing in Geneva. “Since the RSF’s major incursion into the city on October 23, we have received horrific accounts of summary executions, massacres, rape, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions, and forced displacement.”
The UN estimates that the number of civilians and combatants hors de combat killed during the RSF assault “could number in the hundreds,” though verification remains challenging amid the chaos and restricted access to the region.
Medical Facilities Under Fire: Systematic Attacks on Healthcare
Among the most disturbing revelations are targeted attacks on medical facilities and personnel, traditionally protected under international humanitarian law. Witness accounts describe the killing of patients at the Al-Saudi maternity hospital and other makeshift medical centers, raising serious questions about the RSF’s adherence to the rules of war.
“When combatants begin executing patients in their hospital beds, we have crossed a moral and legal threshold that demands international attention,” said Dr. Amina Hassan, a Sudanese medical professional now in exile who maintains contact with colleagues in the region. “The protection of medical facilities is not a negotiable principle—it’s the bedrock of humanitarian law.”
At least two local first responders have been confirmed killed, while three doctors remain detained by the RSF, according to UN documentation. The systematic nature of these attacks suggests a deliberate strategy to dismantle the healthcare infrastructure that sustains civilian populations.
Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
Perhaps the most chilling accounts emerging from El-Fasher involve the systematic use of sexual violence. The UN has documented the gang rape of at least 25 women at a shelter near El-Fasher University, a pattern consistent with previous reports of RSF tactics in other conflict zones across Darfur.
“These are not random acts of violence by rogue elements,” explained Sarah Johnson, a researcher with the Center for Conflict Documentation. “The scale, coordination, and repetition of these sexual assaults point to their use as a deliberate weapon of war—meant to terrorize populations, destroy social fabric, and assert dominance over conquered territories.”
Survivors and witnesses describe RSF fighters moving methodically through neighborhoods, separating men from women, and carrying out systematic assaults that human rights organizations say may constitute crimes against humanity.
Humanitarian Catastrophe Deepens
The situation in neighboring Bara mirrors the horrors unfolding in El-Fasher. UN investigators have received reports of serious violations there, including the alleged summary execution of five Red Crescent volunteers—an attack that strikes at the heart of humanitarian principles.
“When humanitarian workers become targets, the entire system of civilian protection collapses,” Magango emphasized during his Geneva briefing. “These latest reports of serious violations could constitute multiple crimes under international law.”
The UN human rights office has called for “independent, rapid, transparent, and thorough investigations” and for those responsible to be held accountable through proper judicial channels.
International Response and Accountability Mechanisms
Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has reiterated his appeal to states with influence over the warring parties to “act urgently to end the violence, stop the flow of weapons, and ensure effective protection of civilians.”
But what does “acting urgently” actually mean in practice? Diplomatic sources suggest that the International Criminal Court (ICC), which already has an ongoing investigation into atrocities in Darfur, is closely monitoring the situation in El-Fasher. However, the court’s ability to investigate and prosecute remains hampered by logistical challenges and political complexities.
“The international community finds itself at a familiar crossroads,” noted Professor Michael Chen, an international law expert at Geneva Graduate Institute. “We have clear evidence of potential war crimes and crimes against humanity, but the political will to intervene meaningfully remains fragmented. The question is whether El-Fasher will become another Srebrenica—a tragedy we documented but failed to prevent.”
The Broader Conflict Context
The violence in El-Fasher must be understood within the broader context of Sudan’s civil war, which began on April 15, 2023, when long-simmering tensions between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo erupted into open warfare.
What began as a power struggle between two military factions has evolved into a complex conflict with ethnic dimensions, particularly in Darfur, where the RSF—descended from the Janjaweed militias accused of genocide in the early 2000s—has been accused of systematic ethnic cleansing.
The conflict has already claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions, creating what the UN describes as the world’s largest internal displacement crisis. Humanitarian access remains severely restricted, with aid organizations warning of imminent famine conditions in several regions.
Historical Echoes and Changing Tactics
For veterans of the Darfur conflict, the reports from El-Fasher carry haunting echoes of violence that the international community vowed would never be repeated. The systematic nature of the attacks, the targeting of specific ethnic groups, and the use of sexual violence as a weapon all recall tactics employed during the genocide that began in 2003.
“What we’re seeing is both a continuation and an evolution of the violence that defined the earlier conflict,” explained Dr. Samuel Nkomo, a historian specializing in Sudanese conflicts. “The RSF has become more sophisticated, better armed, and more integrated into formal power structures, but their methods in Darfur remain consistent with their origins as a militia designed to terrorize civilian populations.”
Local and international reports consistently document massacres, systematic ethnic cleansing, and the torture of civilians by RSF forces in and around El-Fasher, suggesting a coordinated campaign rather than isolated incidents of brutality.
The Path Forward: Justice and Protection
As the international community grapples with how to respond, human rights organizations emphasize that accountability must be part of any solution. Documentation efforts are underway, but survivors and witnesses face immense risks in coming forward.
“We’re racing against time to document these crimes while ensuring the safety of those brave enough to share their stories,” said Maria Santos, field coordinator for a human rights documentation project operating from Chad. “Every day that passes without meaningful international action makes justice more elusive and emboldens the perpetrators.”
The UN Human Rights Office has called for enhanced monitoring mechanisms and the preservation of evidence for future accountability processes. Meanwhile, humanitarian organizations continue to plead for safe access to deliver life-saving assistance to the millions affected by the conflict.
A Test for International Law
The atrocities in El-Fasher represent not just a humanitarian catastrophe but a critical test for the international legal framework designed to prevent such crimes. As the evidence mounts, the world watches to see whether the promises of “never again” made after Rwanda, Srebrenica, and the first Darfur genocide will be honored or broken.
“These crimes do not happen in a vacuum,” High Commissioner Türk has repeatedly emphasized. “They happen when the world looks away, when geopolitical interests override human rights concerns, and when impunity becomes the expectation rather than the exception.”
As the conflict in Sudan continues to escalate, the international community faces a stark choice: intervene meaningfully to protect civilians and uphold international law, or bear witness to another chapter in humanity’s failure to prevent mass atrocities.
This report was based on UN documentation and field accounts from humanitarian organizations operating in the region. Original reporting by Seyma Erkul Dayanc. Source: AA