UN mission finds RSF destruction in el-Fasher bears ‘hallmarks of genocide’

A UN-backed independent probe reported that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) conducted a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around el-Fasher, Sudan, potentially amounting to genocide. The report, released on February 19, 2026, details atrocities committed after an 18-month siege on the city, which fell to the RSF in late October of the previous year. The UN mission found evidence of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, and the deliberate creation of conditions designed to cause the physical destruction of the Zaghawa and Fur communities. The report concludes that the scale, coordination, and endorsement by RSF leadership indicate a planned operation, not random acts of war, meeting at least three criteria for genocide under the 1948 convention.

A UN fact-finding mission has determined that atrocities committed during the Rapid Support Forces' (RSF) siege and takeover of El-Fasher, Sudan, point to genocide. The RSF captured the Darfur city in late October after an 18-month blockade, marking a brutal period in Sudan's ongoing civil war, which began in April 2023. The UN report cites evidence of mass killings, rape, torture, starvation, and systematic humiliation, concluding the RSF acted with intent to destroy the Zaghawa and Fur communities. The report identifies at least three underlying acts of genocide. The UK Foreign Secretary plans to bring the report's findings to the UN Security Council, calling for international criminal investigations and an end to the arms flow fueling the conflict. The conflict stems from a power struggle between the Sudanese army and the RSF, exacerbated by ethnic divisions.