Amnesty International says fighters from Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have carried out war crimes in the Darfur town of el-Fasher, according to a report released Tuesday. The publication comes hours after the RSF announced it would immediately enter a three-month humanitarian truce, saying the pause was made “in response to international efforts” led by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Amnesty investigators interviewed 28 survivors and collected accounts they say document summary executions of unarmed men and the rape of girls and women during and after the RSF’s seizure of el-Fasher. Amnesty Secretary General Agnès Callamard warned the scale and persistence of violence against civilians amounts to war crimes and could constitute other international offences, and she urged that those responsible be brought to justice.
The fighting in Sudan began in April 2023 after a power struggle between the regular army and the RSF erupted into open combat across Khartoum and other regions. In Darfur the conflict pits forces loyal to General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against the RSF led by his former ally Mohamed Daglo. At the end of October, the RSF took control of el-Fasher, the last major Darfur city previously outside their reach.
Amnesty’s report records individual testimonies, including a woman who said she and her 14-year-old daughter were raped by RSF fighters while fleeing el-Fasher; the daughter later became ill and died at a clinic in the refugee town of Tawila. Another witness described seeing RSF fighters shoot people attempting to escape, calling the killings a massacre and saying those killed were not combatants.
United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher described el-Fasher as a “crime scene” last week and insisted perpetrators must face justice. Attempts at mediation have stalled, with both sides accused of trying to secure military advantage before negotiating. On Sunday, General Burhan rejected a truce proposal from Quad mediators — the United States, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates — calling it the “worst yet” and accusing the UAE of biased support for the RSF. The UAE has denied involvement in the conflict and in turn accused Burhan of consistently obstructive behaviour.