Amnesty says RSF committed ethnic cleansing in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese react after spending a night in Gedaref city eastern Sudan on December 26, 2025 after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) took control of the Heglig area in western Sudan. [AFP]

The Sudanese paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during their attack on El-Fasher city between 2024 and 2025, Amnesty International alleged Wednesday.

Sudan has been mired since April 2023 in a brutal war between the army and the RSF, which has killed tens of thousands and forced millions to flee, according to the United Nations.

Both sides have been accused of atrocities, with a UN independent fact-finding mission in February concluding that the 2025 assault on El-Fasher bore the "hallmarks of genocide".

Amnesty's wide-ranging report found that the RSF "committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El Fasher".

The NGO interviewed 247 victims or witnesses between early 2024 and October 2025 in North Darfur.

It said the RSF systematically attacked settlements around El-Fasher which housed the Zaghawa people, an ethnic group in western Darfur.

The report alleged widespread and deliberate violence against children including killing, abductions, forced recruitment, and rape.

"It is a stain on the conscience of humanity," said Amnesty chief Agnes Callamard in a statement.

RSF fighters burned homes long after residents had fled, the report said, "suggesting an intent to render the areas uninhabitable", consistent with "ethnic cleansing".

During the final RSF offensive on El-Fasher in October 2025, Amnesty said "hundreds were executed, and many others were tortured or detained" as they attempted to flee.

The report also noted violations happened "repeatedly and on a large scale", and suggested "those in positions of authority knew, or should have known, what was occurring, and failed to stop it or hold anyone accountable".

Amnesty International -- which stressed that its investigation into the incidents was ongoing -- also said such acts "may be relevant to the crime of genocide".

The international NGO urged an immediate ceasefire and deployment of an international force to protect civilians.

The report comes as the UN Human Rights Council held a debate over El-Obeid city in North Kordofan, where there are fears of an imminent RSF assault after weeks of intense attacks.