Sudan accuses RSF of war crimes in el‑Fasher as survivors recount mass killings and sexual violence
A senior Sudanese diplomat has accused the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of committing war crimes in North Darfur after the paramilitary group seized the regional capital, el‑Fasher. Survivors who escaped the city have described mass executions, pillage and sexual assaults, prompting renewed international alarm.
Diplomatic accusations and denials
Sudan’s ambassador to Egypt, Imadeldin Mustafa Adawi, on Sunday accused the United Arab Emirates (UAE) of supporting the RSF in the ongoing civil war. The Gulf state denies the allegation.
Adawi urged the international community to act decisively, calling for the RSF to be designated a "terrorist" organisation and for RSF leaders to face prosecution in international courts. He also said Sudan would not take part in mediation efforts led by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States and the UAE if the UAE remains involved.
"The government of Sudan is calling on the international community to act immediately and effectively rather than just make statements of condemnation," Adawi told reporters in Cairo.
Prime Minister Kamil Idris has also said RSF leaders should be tried in international courts, while rejecting what he called the "illegal" deployment of foreign troops on Sudanese soil.
Events in el‑Fasher and survivor testimonies
The RSF took control of el‑Fasher last week after what Sudanese officials describe as an 18‑month siege and a campaign of starvation. The government said at least 2,000 people were killed; witnesses and aid groups warn the toll may be substantially higher. Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in and around the city.
Survivors who reached displacement camps described harrowing scenes. Adam Yahya, who fled with four children, told Al Jazeera his wife was killed in an RSF drone strike shortly before el‑Fasher fell. He recounted seeing bodies in the streets and encountering sand barriers where, he says, fighters fired on civilians.
"The streets were full of dead people... I heard one saying, 'Kill them all, leave no one alive'," Yahya said.
Another survivor, identified only as Rasha and now in a camp in Northern State, said she was sexually assaulted by RSF fighters while searching for her sons. She later fled with her daughters and does not know her sons’ whereabouts.
Humanitarian access and response
Aid agencies warn of a severe information blackout from inside el‑Fasher following the RSF takeover. Caroline Bouvard, Sudan country director for Solidarités International, said only a few hundred people have reached the nearby town of Tawila in recent days, far fewer than expected given the population that was trapped in the city.
"We keep hearing feedback that people are stuck on the roads and in different villages that are unfortunately still inaccessible due to security reasons," Bouvard said, adding that up to 15,000 people may be stranded in surrounding areas. Humanitarian organisations are calling for secure access to deliver aid or evacuate civilians.
The UAE has denied supplying weapons to the RSF. At a forum in Manama, Emirati presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said the UAE wants to help end the war and acknowledged that regional actors could have done more to prevent Sudan’s descent into conflict.
International reaction
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the United States — who have led recent mediation efforts — have condemned reports of mass killings and called for increased humanitarian assistance. Sudan’s calls for designation of the RSF as a terrorist organisation and for international prosecutions add pressure on global and regional actors to respond.
Note: The situation remains fluid and access to independently verified information from el‑Fasher is limited. The article presents allegations and witness accounts reported by survivors and Sudanese officials; some claims are denied by other parties.
