Atrocities in El Fasher, Sudan: UN Report Reveals Signs of Genocide

On February 19, 2026, a United Nations-backed independent investigation team released a report in Geneva, stating that the attacks by the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces against non-Arab communities in El Fasher, Darfur, in October last year exhibited characteristics of genocide. Based on an investigation into three days of atrocities following an 18-month siege, this report has once again brought the nearly three-year-long war into the international spotlight. El Fasher was originally the Sudanese army's last stronghold in Darfur, and its fall is not only a military setback but could also become a turning point for the escalation of the conflict.

Siege and Massacre

The disaster in El Fasher was long foreshadowed. Reports indicate that the Rapid Support Forces began the siege in early 2024, lasting for 18 months. The investigation team concluded that this blockade deliberately created devastating living conditions. By October 2025, the city, originally home to 260,000 residents, was in dire straits: people were physically exhausted, malnourished, and many were unable to escape. From October 25 to 27, after occupying the city, the forces carried out organized atrocities.

Data shows that over 6,000 people were killed in just three days. Before the attack began, troops had already killed at least 300 people at the Abu Shouk displacement camp outside the city. Comprehensive estimates indicate that thousands of civilians lost their lives during the fall of El Fasher. Ultimately, only about 104,000 people (40% of the original residents) managed to escape, among whom thousands were injured, while the whereabouts of the rest remain unknown. The atrocities included mass executions, sexual violence, torture, and kidnappings for ransom.

Survivor testimonies paint a more brutal picture. Soldiers carried out violence with clear racial targeting. Some heard soldiers demanding: "Are there any Zaghavas? Find and kill them all." Another recorded statement was: "We will eliminate all black people in Darfur." The report notes that women from Zaghava and Fur communities were selectively targeted, while Arab women were often spared. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper cited a case at the Security Council: soldiers asked a pregnant woman how many months along she was, and upon hearing seven months, fired seven shots into her abdomen.

Legal Determination: From War Crimes to Genocide

The investigation team, citing the framework of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, concluded that the atrocities align with the characteristics of genocide. The criteria for determination under the Convention include: killing members of a group; causing serious physical or mental harm; deliberately creating conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction; imposing measures intended to prevent births; and forcibly transferring children.

The Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, former Chief Justice of Tanzania, Mohamed Chande Othman, stated that this was not random excesses in war but a planned and organized action. The commission determined that at least the first three criteria were met. According to the Convention, meeting one criterion is sufficient to recognize genocide, but a formal judgment must be made by an international court.

Investigation team member Mona Rishmawi stated at the press conference: When you prevent people from accessing food, water, medical care, and humanitarian aid, the purpose is to destroy them. We have now reached the point of genocide. This judgment is based on the systematic nature of the atrocities: killings, sexual violence, and destruction targeting specific ethnic groups, as well as public calls for the elimination of non-Arab communities. This goes beyond ordinary war crimes and points to a specific intent to destroy particular groups.

Conflict Background and External Factors

The conflict in Sudan began in April 2023, with fighting erupting in Khartoum between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces, spreading to Darfur. As of the report's release, the United Nations estimates over 40,000 deaths, while aid organizations believe the actual figure may be higher. 33 million people require assistance, 14 million are displaced, and famine threatens millions of children. British Foreign Secretary Cooper described it as the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.

The Rapid Support Forces evolved from the Darfur atrocities organization Janjaweed. The suppression at that time resulted in approximately 300,000 deaths and 2.7 million people displaced. Former dictator Omar al-Bashir was consequently wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide. Now, under the leadership of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, this force has become a paramilitary organization with independent financial resources and external support.

UN experts have repeatedly accused the Rapid Support Forces of receiving support from the United Arab Emirates (which the UAE denies). This support may have given them an advantage in equipment and funding over the resource-strained regular army, altering the balance on the battlefield. The fall of El Fasher partly reflects this asymmetry. On the day the report was released, the United States sanctioned three commanders involved in the operation. The Treasury Department stated that this campaign of terror and killings could undermine regional stability and fuel terrorism.

International Response and Crisis Spread

The report also exposed the failure of the international early warning mechanism. UN Deputy Secretary-General Rosemary DiCarlo pointed out at the Security Council that the El Fasher incident could have been prevented. During the siege, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk repeatedly warned of the risk of large-scale atrocities, but these warnings were not taken seriously. Türk now warns that in Sudan's Kordofan region, clashes between the regular army and the Rapid Support Forces are ongoing, and similar crimes may recur.

The actions of the Security Council remain relatively slow. As the rotating president for February, the United Kingdom submitted a report for discussion and called for a ceasefire. However, amid geopolitical maneuvering, it is difficult to reach consensus on arms embargoes, severe sanctions, or actions to protect civilians. The investigation team was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2023. Its report primarily provides factual determinations and moral pressure, and cannot directly initiate judicial proceedings.

The fall of El Fasher may signal the conflict entering a more dangerous phase. The city is not only a military stronghold but also a key aid hub for Darfur. Its loss has severed vital lifelines and pushed the fighting into broader areas. The Rapid Support Forces may leverage this momentum to expand their offensive, while the regular army faces both a morale blow and territorial losses. There is a trend of the conflict spreading from Darfur to regions such as Kordofan, potentially triggering larger-scale humanitarian disasters and ethnic confrontations.

This war has transcended the power struggle between two armed forces. It has torn apart the social fabric, reignited long-standing ethnic animosities in Darfur, and created space for external intervention. The United Nations' recognition of genocidal characteristics serves as a wake-up call, reminding the world that the massacre in El Fasher is not an isolated incident but the culmination of systemic violence. Whether the international community can learn from this and prevent Kordofan from becoming the next El Fasher will test its commitment and conscience. Investigation team member Rishmawi stated that they hope the warring parties receive the message that enough is enough. Yet, driven by power, resources, and hatred, a ceasefire still seems distant.