{"id":2083,"date":"2026-07-01T20:59:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:59:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cnnglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/01\/sudans-rsf-committed-crimes-against-humanity-in-el-fasher-amnesty-says\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T20:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T20:59:02","slug":"sudans-rsf-committed-crimes-against-humanity-in-el-fasher-amnesty-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2083","title":{"rendered":"Sudan\u2019s RSF committed crimes against humanity in El Fasher, Amnesty says"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"ea1489b5-ecc0-4c24-913e-4f4c70543824\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Armed fighters in camouflage and face coverings hold rifles in an outdoor area with vehicles and vegetation\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/466a1b70cd289029729e78c1fb7b44514b24e8b2\/1713_271_1099_879\/master\/1099.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"371.91537761601455\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Rapid Support Forces in El-Fasher in October, when it captured El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan armed forces in Darfur.<\/span> Photograph: Rapid Support Forces (RSF)\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"ea1489b5-ecc0-4c24-913e-4f4c70543824\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Rapid Support Forces in El-Fasher in October, when it captured El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan armed forces in Darfur.<\/span> Photograph: Rapid Support Forces (RSF)\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Sudan\u2019s RSF committed crimes against humanity in El Fasher, Amnesty says<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Report accuses paramilitary force of crimes including ethnic cleansing in systemic campaign against civilians<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to capture El Fasher, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/amnesty-international\" data-link-name=\"in body link\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Amnesty International<\/a> has alleged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Many of the crimes, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement and sexual slavery, were carried out as part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians and amounted to crimes against humanity, the human rights organisation said <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/documents\/afr54\/1116\/2026\/en\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">in a report<\/a> released on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In the report, Amnesty also accused the RSF of deliberately targeting children during attacks in the city in North Darfur state.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In October, the paramilitary force captured El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan armed forces in the Darfur region, after an 18-month siege. The brutal takeover was marked by widespread massacres, with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/global-development\/2026\/mar\/25\/heroism-horror-and-the-pits-of-hell-inside-the-last-days-of-el-fasher\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">tens of thousands of people killed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"1890b864-780d-4396-8db0-5ad1bb78c1b3\" class=\"element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-1uqv7sk\" data-alt=\"A map showing locations of RSF attacks or violation in El Fasher\" data-testid=\"interactive-element-A%20map%20showing%20locations%20of%20RSF%20attacks%20or%20violation%20in%20El%20Fasher\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1x767ir\"><\/div>\n<p><a data-name=\"placeholder\" href=\"https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/uploader\/embed\/2026\/07\/el_fasher_atrocities-1jul\/giv-32554KxaQjg4IxtIe\/\" class=\"dcr-olkhl1\">A map showing locations of RSF attacks or violation in El Fasher<\/a><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In February, an independent fact-finding mission for the UN <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ohchr.org\/en\/documents\/thematic-reports\/ahrc6177-sudan-hallmarks-genocide-el-fasher-report-independent\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a> the RSF\u2019s seizure of El Fasher showed \u201challmarks of genocide\u201d against non-Arab communities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">For the report, Amnesty interviewed 247 people, including 208 survivors of the fighting in the city and surrounding areas. It also analysed documentary and video material, and carried out analysis of satellite imagery from North Darfur.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Amnesty concluded that the RSF had committed war crimes in El Fasher and surrounding areas between mid-2024 and late 2025. It found the paramilitary force had often targeted non-Arab civilians and repeatedly used derogatory and dehumanising language in attacks. The RSF committed the crime against humanity of persecution on the basis of ethnicity, Amnesty concluded.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"cfaa342c-f127-428d-8f03-c45e88c2e37e\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-2\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Satellite imagery shows the destruction in El Fasher.\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b85bf3c95e14f935f76ccbd04cd237cecec9602e\/652_0_3195_2556\/master\/3195.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-2\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"cfaa342c-f127-428d-8f03-c45e88c2e37e\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Satellite imagery shows the destruction in El Fasher.<\/span> Photograph: Maxar\/DigitalGlobe\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The human rights organisation said RSF\u2019s destruction of towns and villages between December 2024 and March 2025 including Abu Zerega, which is populated by non-Arab ethnic groups, was consistent with ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The report said the abuses carried out by the paramilitary force had orphaned countless children and displaced hundreds of thousands of others, exposing them to death and injury during attacks or while fleeing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Agn\u00e8s Callamard, the secretary general of Amnesty International, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amnesty.org\/en\/documents\/afr54\/1116\/2026\/en\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said<\/a>: \u201cThe war in Sudan is a war on civilians. The world was warned of the horrors that civilians in El Fasher confronted as the RSF laid siege to the city. It is a stain on the conscience of humanity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The report named three RSF commanders whom it said were responsible for serious violations of international law: Maj Gen Gedo Hamdan Ahmed Mohamed, also known as \u201cAbu Shok\u201d, Lt Col Abbas Khater Bakhit and commander Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2025\/oct\/31\/sudan-rsf-accused-pr-stunt-after-arresting-fighters-behind-civilian-killings\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">\u201cAbu Lulu\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"ea942127-1412-4871-828e-517614a3b6ab\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.ImageBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-d9bay7\">\n<div id=\"img-3\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Refugees queuing for water\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/b811e0f2e21092d50146ecede9734b90a211d2bd\/1273_0_6385_5108\/master\/6385.jpg?width=445&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"445\" height=\"356\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><a href=\"#img-3\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"ea942127-1412-4871-828e-517614a3b6ab\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-174mzkf\"><span class=\"dcr-vyhg7z\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">Refugees queuing for water in Adre, Chad, after fleeing the war in Sudan.<\/span> Photograph: Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The Sudanese civil war began in April 2023 when a power struggle between the Sudan armed forces led by Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF headed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2023\/apr\/17\/mohamed-hamdan-dagalo-the-feared-ex-warlord-taking-on-sudan-army-hemedti\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo<\/a>, commonly known as Hemedti, erupted into violence in the capital, Khartoum.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The fighting has killed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/30\/opinion\/sudan-genocide-famine.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">hundreds of thousands<\/a> of people and displaced more.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Amnesty called for an immediate ceasefire and for the urgent deployment of an international force to protect civilians.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Callamard said: \u201cThe international community must move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps to protect civilians, breaking the cycle of impunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/sudan\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Sudan<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/amnesty-international\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Amnesty International<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/law\/war-crimes\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">War crimes<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/law\/human-rights\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Human rights<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/africa\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/world\/middleeast\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Middle East and north Africa<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Sudan%E2%80%99s%20RSF%20committed%20crimes%20against%20humanity%20in%20El%20Fasher,%20Amnesty%20says&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2026\/jul\/01\/sudan-rsf-rapid-support-forces-crimes-against-humanity-el-fasher-amnesty-ethnic-cleansing?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2026%2Fjul%2F01%2Fsudan-rsf-rapid-support-forces-crimes-against-humanity-el-fasher-amnesty-ethnic-cleansing&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=world\/2026\/jul\/01\/sudan-rsf-rapid-support-forces-crimes-against-humanity-el-fasher-amnesty-ethnic-cleansing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rapid Support Forces in El-Fasher in October, when it captured El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan armed forces in Darfur. Photograph: Rapid Support Forces (RSF)\/AFP\/Getty Images View image &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/?p=2083\" class=\"more-link\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":2084,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2083"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cnnglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}