New UN Report Accuses Sudan’s RSF of Crimes Against Humanity

Author: Vera Rousseff

September 9, 2025

HRRC strongly condemns the war crimes committed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in Sudan. We further denounce the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the RSF against Sudanese civilians. The international community must work with both groups to organize peace talks and push for a ceasefire.

Members of the RSF in Sudan. [Image credit: Rashraf Shazly / AFP via Getty Images]

A new report from the United Nations’ Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan accuses the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a powerful paramilitary group in Sudan, of multiple crimes against humanity. The report, which was released on Friday, documents the impact of Sudan’s civil war on the country’s civilians and concludes that both the RSF and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF)—the official military of Sudan—have violated international human rights and humanitarian law.

According to the report, both the RSF and the SAF are responsible for direct, large-scale attacks on civilians, as well as the destruction of markets, food and water systems, medical centers, and other essential infrastructure that civilians depend on for survival. Mohamed Chande Othman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, has characterized these strategies as war crimes—actions committed during an armed conflict that violate international humanitarian law. Often this means targeting civilians, torturing prisoners, attacking protected infrastructure such as schools or hospitals, and other actions that harm individuals who are not participating in the fighting. In the case of Sudan, Othman stated that, “Both sides have deliberately targeted civilians through attacks, summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture, and inhuman treatment in detention facilities, including denial of food, sanitation, and medical care. These are not accidental tragedies but deliberate strategies amounting to war crimes.”

Besides war crimes, the RSF are additionally accused of committing crimes against humanity. These are crimes committed as part of a widespread attack directed against any civilian population, and can include enslavement, murder, torture, and sexual violence. Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity are not necessarily tied to an armed conflict. The UN report claims that the RSF committed large-scale killings of civilians—particularly of non-Arab communities—as well as widespread sexual and gender-based violence. In one instance, the RSF massacred up to 15,000 civilians—mostly women and children—in a refugee camp last April.

The civil war in Sudan started in 2023, when a power struggle broke out between the SAF and RSF. Tensions in the country had been mounting since President Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled the country for nearly three decades, was ousted in a coup in 2019. Following another coup in 2021, the SAF and RSF emerged as the two opposing powers in the country, each with their own set of domestic and international allies. The RSF, which was established by Bashir in 2013 as a paramilitary force, evolved from the notorious Arab-majority militia group known as the Janjaweed. The group has a history of targeting non-Arab communities in Sudan, most notably in Darfur, where they worked with the government to commit what is widely considered to be a genocide. The RSF is made even more powerful by their control of Sudan’s gold mines and their involvement in the gold trade, which has earned them the support of the United Arab Emirates.

Sudan has experienced three civil wars since becoming independent in 1956. As is often the case, the country’s turbulent history can largely be attributed to the effects of colonization. Present-day Sudan and South Sudan were jointly ruled by Britain and Egypt for the first half of the 20th century, with Britain as the dominant power—effectively making the Anglo-Egyptian Condominium a British colony. The British government employed a “divide-and-rule” strategy, impeding the development of the southern African regions while promoting development in the northern Arab regions. The resulting inequality set the stage for decades of political instability, war, and suffering.

Since the outbreak of the civil war in 2023, the humanitarian situation in Sudan has become disastrous. The country has more people living in famine conditions than the rest of the world combined. It is also facing the world’s largest and fastest displacement crisis, with more than 12 million people displaced since April 2023. The situation is made increasingly worse by a lack of humanitarian aid, in part due to funding shortfalls.

Human rights leaders have expressed frustration with the lack of global interest in Sudan’s dire humanitarian situation, especially compared to other crises around the world. The international community must criticize countries that directly or indirectly support the war, such as the UAE. Additionally, regional powers have a responsibility to organize peace talks and leverage their influence in calling for a ceasefire. As the war enters its third year, Sudan’s civilians deserve global attention and a concerted effort to bring about peace in the country.

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Glossary

• Arbitrary detention: the imprisonment or confinement of people without proper legal procedures or justification.

• Ceasefire: a temporary or permanent halt to fighting between opposing armed groups.

• Colonization: the control and exploitation of one region or people by a foreign power.

• Concerted: done with deliberate effort and coordination, often involving two or more people or groups working together toward a common goal.

• Displacement: the forced movement of people from their homes due to conflict, violence, or disasters.

• Divide-and-rule strategy: a colonial policy of creating divisions between groups to weaken opposition and maintain control.

• Fact-Finding Mission: a UN-appointed body tasked with investigating and reporting on human rights violations.

• Famine: an extreme scarcity of food in a region that leads to widespread hunger, malnutrition, and increased risk of death.

• Genocide: the deliberate attempt to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.

• Humanitarian aid: assistance provided to people in need during crises, including food, water, shelter, and medical care.

• Humanitarian law (International Humanitarian Law): rules of war designed to protect civilians and limit the effects of armed conflict.

• Infrastructure: the basic physical and organizational systems and structures that a society needs to function, such as electricity, water supply, hospitals, and schools.

• Militia: an armed group made up of civilians who are not part of a country’s official military but who organize and fight, often during times of conflict or unrest.

• Paramilitary group: an armed group organized like a military force but not officially part of a country’s army.

• Sexual and gender-based violence: violence directed at individuals based on their gender, including rape, sexual assault, and harassment.

• United Nations (UN): an international organization that promotes peace, security, and human rights, and investigates global crises.