Sudan’s RSF committing war crimes in Darfur, says Amnesty

Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) fighters are committing war crimes in the Darfur town of el-Fasher, the rights group Amnesty International has alleged in a new report.

The report was published on Tuesday, just hours after the RSF declared that it would immediately enter into a three-month humanitarian truce “in response to international efforts” led by United States President Donald Trump.
Sudan plunged into chaos in April 2023 when a power struggle between the military and the RSF exploded into open fighting in the capital, Khartoum, and elsewhere in the country.

In its latest report, Amnesty said it had collected testimonies from 28 survivors describing atrocities in el-Fasher ranging from the summary execution of unarmed men to the rape of girls and women.

“This persistent, widespread violence against civilians constitutes war crimes and may also constitute other crimes under international law,” Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard said.

“All those responsible must be held accountable for their actions.”
The war in the Darfur region pits the regular forces of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the RSF, headed by his former right-hand man and ally, Mohamed Daglo, since April 2023.

At the end of October, the RSF seized el-Fasher, the last major city in the vast western region of Darfur that had remained outside their control.

Last week, United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher had said that el-Fasher has been transformed into a “crime scene” and said that those who commit these crimes must “face justice”.