A report issued by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan stated that the (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against communities on an ethnic basis in El Fasher and its surrounding areas, bearing the hallmarks of genocide.
While the mission documented war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the RSF, evidence indicates that at least three genocidal acts were perpetrated.
These acts include killing members of an ethnic group, causing serious bodily and mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the group’s physical destruction in whole or in part — all constituting elements of the crime of genocide under international law.
According to UN News, the report submitted to the , titled “Genocidal Characteristics in El Fasher,” concluded that genocidal intent is the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the systematic pattern followed by RSF forces in ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, destruction, and public statements explicitly calling for the extermination of communities on ethnic grounds — as well as the public endorsement of those crimes by militia leaders in El Fasher.
Mohamed Chande Othman, Chair of the mission, stated: “The scale, coordination, and public endorsement of the operation by senior RSF leaders demonstrate that the crimes committed in El Fasher and its surroundings were not random excesses of war, but part of an organized and planned operation bearing the distinctive characteristics of genocide.”
The report said the siege of El Fasher systematically weakened the targeted population through starvation, deprivation, trauma, and detention — conditions calculated to destroy them.
Residents were described as physically exhausted, malnourished, and unable to flee, leaving them defenseless in the face of the extreme violence that followed. The report stated that thousands were killed, raped, or disappeared during three days of absolute terror.
The mission documented a pattern of conduct specifically directed against ethnic groups, including mass killings, widespread rape, sexual violence, and torture in El Fasher in late October. These acts were not incidental to hostilities but were carried out in a manner and context demonstrating intent and public declaration to destroy and eliminate the targeted groups.
According to the report, such explicit statements, combined with the systematic nature of the attacks, constitute evidence of genocidal intent.
The militia reportedly used discriminatory and racist language during widespread, systematic, and coordinated rapes, including numerous cases of gang rape and other forms of sexual violence.
The Fact-Finding Mission stressed the urgent need to protect civilians more than ever.
In the absence of effective preventive and accountability measures, the mission warned that the risk of further genocidal acts remains serious and ongoing.
The mission chair added: “Perpetrators of these crimes must be held accountable at all levels of authority. Where evidence indicates genocide, the international community bears an even greater obligation to prevent, protect, and ensure justice.”
