UN probe finds mass killings, gang rapes by Sudan’s RSF amount to genocide

A United Nations Fact-Finding Mission has concluded that Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed genocide in the western city of el-Fasher. The mission's findings, released on Wednesday, detail a systematic campaign of violence including mass killings, gang rapes, and deliberate starvation as part of an intentional policy. Survivors described horrific scenes of rape occurring amidst the bodies of killed civilians. The report also found the RSF and its allies committed the war crime of starvation by imposing a siege and impeding relief supplies. The RSF has denied these abuses. The findings carry urgent implications for el-Obeid, where similar patterns of violence are reportedly unfolding.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced a significant breakthrough in its investigation into atrocities committed in Darfur over the past three years. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan stated that while a timeline for potential charges cannot be provided, progress has been substantial. The court, based in The Hague, investigates genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Khan made these remarks after visiting refugee camps in eastern Chad, where victims recounted their experiences. The violence in Darfur, which began in April 2023, has led to tens of thousands displaced, with the UN noting that violence in el-Fasher bore the "hallmarks of genocide." The RSF has denied widespread allegations of ethnically motivated killings but acknowledged some violations occurred.

Drone strikes on civilian vehicles in Sudan have resulted in over 20 deaths in recent days, according to rights groups. On Tuesday, a drone strike west of Omdurman killed 10 civilians, including a family of five women, as they traveled to a wedding. The Sudan Doctors Network blamed the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for this attack, calling it deliberate and urging international pressure on RSF leadership to cease targeting civilians. Separately, two people died in a drone strike on a transport vehicle near a water facility. The day prior, 13 civilians were killed by a drone strike on their vehicle en route to a wedding in North Kordofan province. These incidents highlight an escalating pattern of drone attacks on civilians in the ongoing war between the military and the RSF, which has caused widespread displacement and humanitarian crisis.