UN probe: RSF's siege of El Fasher in Sudan amounts to genocide as ICC makes breakthrough in Darfur war crimes case

Capture of El Fasher

In October 2025, the RSF paramilitary group captured El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, after a prolonged siege. More than 6,000 people were killed, and survivors have described horrific abuses. The United Nations has documented mass killings, abductions of women and girls, forced starvation, and mass gang rapes. Survivors reported being raped in rooms where the bodies of recently killed civilians, including family members, lay on the ground.

UN finds genocide

A new report by the UN Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan, released on 8 July 2026, concludes that the widespread and systematic pattern of RSF conduct in El Fasher was part of an intentional policy amounting to genocide. The mission had already found in a preliminary report in February 2026 that the mass killings bore hallmarks of genocide. The latest report adds evidence of war crimes including starvation and attacks on civilian infrastructure.

The patterns we documented in al-Fashir — including encirclement, attacks on civilian infrastructure, restrictions on humanitarian access, and widespread abuses against civilians — serve as a stark warning. The international community must heed these lessons and act to prevent further catastrophe.

ICC breakthrough

On 9 July 2026, the International Criminal Court said it has “concrete evidence” linking RSF leaders to war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. Deputy chief prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan told the BBC the investigation into the massacres in El Fasher and El Geneina had reached a breakthrough.

It may take time for justice to develop, to be brought to the court, but we will get there.

The RSF has repeatedly denied all allegations of widespread killings.

Rising alarm over al-Obeid

The UN human rights chief warned on 3 July that a similar catastrophe is unfolding around al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where some 500,000 people, including 83,000 internally displaced, are at risk. On 6 July, the UN Human Rights Council set up an urgent inquiry into alleged abuses there. Britain and other states have warned of a risk of large-scale atrocities as RSF forces mass around the city.