UN Mission Finds ‘Hallmarks of Genocide’ in RSF Campaign Against Non-Arab Communities in Sudan

A new report released today by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan warns that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around El-Fasher, with evidence pointing to acts that meet the legal threshold of genocide.

The report, submitted to the UN Human Rights Council and titled "Hallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher," concludes that while war crimes and crimes against humanity were documented, the evidence establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed.

These include:

• Killing members of a protected ethnic group

• Causing serious bodily and mental harm

• Deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction

All are core elements of genocide under international law.

'Genocidal Intent the Only Reasonable Inference'

The Fact-Finding Mission found that genocidal intent is the only reasonable conclusion that can be drawn from the RSF's systematic pattern of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, destruction, and public statements calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur.

"The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leadership demonstrate that the crimes committed in and around El-Fasher were not random excesses of war," said Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the Mission.

"They formed part of a planned and organized operation that bears the defining characteristics of genocide."

Siege, Starvation and Planned Destruction

The report describes the takeover of El-Fasher as carefully planned and preceded by an 18-month siege, during which the targeted population was systematically weakened through starvation, deprivation, trauma and confinement.

These conditions left residents exhausted, malnourished and unable to flee, making them defenseless against the extreme violence that followed.

Thousands of people — particularly Zaghawa civilians — were killed, raped or disappeared during what the Mission described as "three days of absolute horror" in late October.

RSF leadership publicly hailed the takeover as a "major and historic military victory."

Mass Killings, Rape and Ethnic Targeting

The report documents a pattern of atrocities directed specifically against protected ethnic groups, including:

• Mass killings

• Widespread rape and sexual violence, including gang rape

• Torture and cruel treatment

• Arbitrary detention

• Extortion

• Enforced disappearances

The Mission stressed that these acts were not incidental to hostilities but were carried out in a context demonstrating intent to destroy targeted groups.

Identity-based targeting linked to ethnicity, gender and perceived political affiliation was central to the RSF operation.

Survivors reported fighters openly declaring their intentions, including:

"Is there anyone Zaghawa among you? If we find Zaghawa, we will kill them all."

"We want to eliminate anything black from Darfur."

Such statements, combined with the systematic nature of the attacks, provide both direct and circumstantial evidence of genocidal intent, the report said.

Sexual Violence as a Tool of Destruction

The Mission found that discriminatory ethnic slurs accompanied coordinated acts of rape and sexual violence, with Zaghawa and Fur women and girls selectively targeted, while women perceived as Arab were often spared.

"These are slaves. Kill them, destroy them, rape them," one survivor recalled an RSF member saying.

Mission expert Mona Rishmawi said the evidence leaves only one conclusion.

"The RSF acted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, the Zaghawa and Fur communities in El-Fasher. These are the hallmarks of genocide."

Failure of Prevention Despite Clear Warning Signs

The crimes unfolded against a backdrop of repeated warnings and clearly identified atrocity risk indicators, the report notes, underscoring a failure of prevention.

The escalation from ethnically targeted violence to acts meeting the material elements of genocide occurred despite the existence of clear warning signs.

"No effective measures were taken to dissuade the RSF from continuing down its destructive path," the Mission said.

Risk of Further Genocidal Acts Remains गंभीर

As conflict spreads into the Kordofan region, the Fact-Finding Mission warned that urgent civilian protection is needed now more than ever.

"The conduct in El-Fasher represents… an acute manifestation of patterns consistent with genocidal violence," said expert member Joy Ngozi Ezeilo.

The Mission stressed that without accountability, the risk of further genocidal acts remains serious and ongoing.

Call for Accountability and International Action

The Fact-Finding Mission urged that perpetrators at all levels must face justice and that the international community has a heightened duty to act where genocide is indicated.

"Perpetrators at all levels of authority must be held accountable," Othman said.

"Where evidence indicates genocide, the international community has a heightened obligation to prevent, protect and ensure justice is done."