February 20, New Delhi – An independent investigation by the United Nations has documented the mass killings of non-Arab communities following the capture of the Sudanese city of al-Fashir by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), stating that the killings exhibit characteristics indicative of genocide.
At the end of last October, the RSF seized the city – the last remaining stronghold of the Sudanese Armed Forces in the Darfur region of western Sudan – reportedly killing and raping thousands during three days of violence.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan found evidence that the RSF carried out coordinated and repeated targeting of individuals based on ethnicity, gender, and perceived political affiliation, including mass killings, rape, torture, and the deliberate creation of living conditions intended to bring about the physical destruction of a group – core elements of genocide under international law.
At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday, humanitarian officials stated that the situation for women and girls has sharply deteriorated since fighting erupted nearly three years ago.
The United States has imposed sanctions on three RSF commanders for their role in the 18-month siege and capture of al-Fashir, accusing the group of carrying out systematic and widespread killings.