Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to capture El Fasher, Amnesty International has alleged in a report released on Wednesday. The human rights organization stated that many of the atrocities, including murder, torture, rape, enslavement, and sexual slavery, were part of a widespread and systematic attack against civilians.

Amnesty's findings come after the RSF captured El Fasher, the last stronghold of the Sudan armed forces in the Darfur region, in October following an 18-month siege. This brutal takeover was reportedly marked by widespread massacres, with tens of thousands of people killed.

The report details that the RSF deliberately targeted children during attacks in the city, located in North Darfur state. Amnesty interviewed 247 people for its investigation, including 208 survivors of the fighting in and around El Fasher. The organization also analyzed documentary and video material, alongside satellite imagery from the region.

Amnesty concluded that the RSF committed war crimes in El Fasher and surrounding areas between mid-2024 and late 2025. The report highlights that non-Arab civilians were frequently targeted, and derogatory and dehumanizing language was repeatedly used during attacks. The human rights group specifically concluded that the RSF committed the crime against humanity of persecution on the basis of ethnicity.

These allegations echo previous findings by an independent fact-finding mission for the UN in February, which stated that the RSF’s seizure of El Fasher showed “hallmarks of genocide” against non-Arab communities. The UN mission was established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law in Sudan.

Previous reports from various human rights groups and international bodies have documented widespread abuses committed by both the RSF and the Sudanese army since the conflict began in April 2023. The conflict has displaced millions and created a severe humanitarian crisis across the country.

Amnesty International has called on the international community to support accountability for these grave violations. The organization urged states to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and other international mechanisms to ensure that perpetrators of these crimes are brought to justice.

While the RSF has not yet officially responded to Amnesty's latest report, they have previously denied allegations of widespread atrocities, often blaming the conflict on rival factions or stating that actions were taken in self-defense. The situation in El Fasher and the broader Darfur region remains a critical focus for international human rights monitoring.