A new report from the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan has concluded that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed atrocities during its takeover of the North Darfur city of al-Fashir that bear the "hallmarks of genocide" against non-Arab communities. The investigation found that the RSF carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction targeting the Zaghawa and Fur ethnic groups, systematically killing, raping and displacing thousands in a planned operation endorsed by senior leadership . The report documents that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed: killing members of protected ethnic groups, causing serious bodily and mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction.
Systematic Starvation
The investigation revealed that the October 2025 takeover was preceded by an 18‑month siege that deliberately cut off civilians from food, water, medical care and humanitarian assistance. This prolonged blockade systematically weakened the targeted populations, leaving them physically exhausted, malnourished and unable to flee when the final assault came . The UN Human Rights Office documented that at least 4,400 people were killed within al-Fashir during the first days of the offensive, with over 1,600 others killed along exit routes as they attempted to escape. Witnesses described three days of absolute horror, with bodies filling the streets and RSF fighters showing no distinction between Zaghawa civilians and armed defenders.
"Exterminatory Rhetoric"
Survivors provided chilling testimony of RSF fighters explicitly stating their intention to eliminate non-Arab communities. Witnesses reported hearing paramilitaries ask, "Is there anyone Zaghawa among you? If we find Zaghawa, we will kill them all". Other fighters were heard declaring, "We want to eliminate anything black from Darfur". This "exterminatory rhetoric," combined with the systematic nature of attacks, led investigators to conclude that genocidal intent was "the only reasonable inference" from the RSF's pattern of conduct. The mission emphasized that these were not random excesses of war but a planned and organized operation bearing the defining characteristics of genocide.
Sexual Violence
The report documented horrific patterns of sexual violence specifically targeting Zaghawa and Fur women and girls, while women perceived as Arab were often spared. Victims ranging from seven to seventy years old were subjected to rape, gang rape, whipping and forced nudity. One survivor recalled an RSF member shouting, "These are slaves. Kill them, destroy them, rape them". UN experts described sexual violence as systematically used as a weapon of war, with such discriminatory and ethnic slurs accompanying widespread and coordinated attacks.
International Community Urged to Act
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemned the findings as "truly horrific," describing systematic starvation, torture, killings, rape and deliberate ethnic targeting used on the most horrendous scale. She announced plans to take the report to the UN Security Council and called for international criminal investigations to ensure accountability. The UN investigators warned that without effective prevention and accountability, the risk of further genocidal acts remains serious and ongoing. They called on the international community to fully enforce existing arms embargoes on Darfur and prevent the transfer of weapons to parties implicated in serious violations.