Amnesty International confirmed on Tuesday that a Sudanese paramilitary group committed war crimes during deadly atrocities in a Darfur city, marking the latest serious accusation in the country’s devastating civil conflict. Specifically, the international rights group gathered powerful testimony describing the barbarities the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) executed while seizing control of El-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur province, from the army late last month.
The RSF atrocities involved executing dozens of unarmed men and committing widespread sexual violence, including the brutal rape of women and girls. Furthermore, RSF fighters took several victims hostage, demanding ransom payments for their safe return and continued freedom, with witnesses reporting seeing “hundreds of dead bodies left lying” on city streets and along the main routes leading out of El-Fasher.
Targeting Civilians and Hospitals
“This persistent, widespread violence against civilians constitutes war crimes and may also constitute other crimes under international law,” stated Agnes Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general.
Consequently, witnesses described RSF fighters moving deliberately house-to-house, specifically targeting civilians for murder and relentless sexual assault. The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed gunmen killed at least 460 people at one hospital alone, and additionally abducted several doctors and nurses from the facility. To compile the report, Amnesty researchers spoke directly with 28 survivors who successfully managed to escape the violence and chaos in El-Fasher.
