On Friday, the United Nations accused the Rapid Support Forces of committing war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in El Fasher, since they took control of the city in western Sudan last October. In its report, the High Commissioner for Human Rights counted the killing of at least 6,000 people during an attack that lasted a week.

Published on: 02/13/2026 - 18:44

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Friday that the Rapid Support Forces have committed war crimes, and may have also committed crimes against humanity, since taking control of El Fasher, confirming that at least 6,000 people have been killed.

Several reports stated that massacres, rapes, and kidnappings occurred during the control of these paramilitary units over the city located in western Sudan last October.

In this regard, the High Commissioner stated in a statement accompanying the issuance of its report on the situation that “the violations committed by the Rapid Support Forces during their control of El Fasher constitute war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.” Accusations were also directed against the "Arab militias" allied with the Rapid Support.

Based on interviews conducted in late 2025 with more than 140 victims and witnesses in Sudan’s Northern State and in eastern Chad, the UN Human Rights Office documented the killing of more than 6,000 people during the first three days of the RSF offensive in El Fasher.

The Commission also warned that “the true death toll from the week-long attack is undoubtedly much higher,” stressing that “thousands of people are still missing.” The report estimates that at least 4,400 people were killed inside El Fasher, and more than 1,600 others were killed while fleeing the city.

“Credible and impartial investigations must be conducted to determine criminal responsibility, including the responsibility of leaders and other officials,” UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said in the statement.

Türk had previously indicated on February 9 that the conclusions reached by the High Commissioner confirm the findings of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, which stated that “war crimes and crimes against humanity” were committed during the control of El Fasher.

The Commission also confirmed in its report that “there are reasonable grounds to believe that the Rapid Support Forces and the Arab militias allied with them committed acts amounting to war crimes, including murder, directing deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian objects, launching indiscriminate attacks, using starvation of civilians as a method of warfare, attacks directed against medical and humanitarian personnel, sexual violence, including rape, torture and other cruel treatment, and acts of looting, as well as the recruitment and use of children in labor.” Hostility.”

The UN body considered that these grave violations were “similar to those previously documented during the attacks of the Rapid Support Forces on the Zamzam camp (for displaced persons) in April 2025, and in El Geneina and Ardamata in 2023,” denouncing “a systematic attack against the civilian population in the Darfur region.”

France 24/AFP

Keywords related to the article

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.