More than 6,000 people were killed in just three days when Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces seized the city of El-Fasher last year, according to victims and witnesses cited in a United Nations report.
“It was like a scene out of a horror movie,” recalled one witness, describing bodies being thrown into the air as RSF fighters opened fire on around 1,000 people sheltering in a university building in October 2025.
The UN report details evidence of mass killings, summary executions, torture, abductions, and sexual violence against civilians, classifying these acts as war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. The RSF has not commented on the latest report but has previously denied similar allegations.
Sudan remains embroiled in a nearly three-year-long conflict between the regular army and RSF paramilitaries. The ongoing civil war has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced more than 13 million people. Sexual violence against men, women, and children is reportedly being used as a weapon of war.
Both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces have been accused of atrocities. The US and Human Rights Watch have described actions by RSF and allies in western Darfur as genocide against the Massalit people and other non-Arab communities, though recent UN reports stop short of that designation.
El-Fasher, a key Darfur city, experienced 18 months of siege and has emerged as a central site of the conflict’s worst human rights violations. More than 140 victims and witnesses gave testimony in Sudan’s Northern State and eastern Chad in late 2025, according to the UN Human Rights Office.
The UN estimates that at least 4,400 people were killed within the city during the first days of the RSF assault, with over 1,600 others killed along exit routes as civilians fled. The report warns that the actual death toll is likely much higher.
Volker Türk renewed calls on all parties in Sudan to halt grave violations by forces under their command, amid growing international pressure.
The conflict has drawn scrutiny of foreign involvement. The UAE has denied allegations that it is the main supplier of arms to RSF fighters. The UK recently imposed sanctions on six individuals, including senior army and RSF commanders and three foreign nationals allegedly responsible for recruiting Colombian mercenaries to fight for the RSF.
British lawmakers raised concerns that weapons legally sold to the UAE by the UK were resold to the RSF, prompting assurances from Yvette Cooper that arms export controls would be strictly enforced.
Meanwhile, a coalition linked to the RSF, the Sudan Founding Alliance, announced plans to establish a rival government in western Sudan. The African Union has rejected the move, warning it threatens any prospects for national unity.
