UN Mission Discovers Destruction in El-Fasher with Genocide Indicators Found

UN-Backed Probe Documents Atrocities in Sudanese City

A United Nations-backed independent fact-finding mission has released a report detailing alleged atrocities committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) group against non-Arab communities in the Sudanese city of el-Fasher. The report, which was published on Thursday, found that RSF fighters carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against these communities, resulting in significant harm and loss of life.

The RSF had been besieging el-Fasher for 18 months prior to its fall to the group in late October last year. During this time, the RSF imposed conditions that led to the physical destruction of non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur communities. The report stated that senior RSF leadership publicly endorsed these actions, indicating a deliberate and coordinated effort.

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide defines genocide as acts committed with intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. According to the report, at least three of the five criteria for genocide were met in the alleged actions of the RSF, including killing members of a protected ethnic group, causing serious bodily and mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction.

The report also documented acts of sexual violence, including rape, whipping, beatings, and forced nudity, committed against girls and women between the ages of seven and 70. Survivors reported being targeted based on their ethnicity, gender, and perceived political affiliation, with explicit threats made to “clean” the city of non-Arab communities.

The RSF has previously denied involvement in these atrocities. The report’s findings have been documented by the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Sudan, which was mandated by members of the Human Rights Council.

Source: Al Jazeera