The war that has been devastating Sudan since April 2023 has reached a new and alarming threshold. Experts mandated by the United Nations now assess that the violence in El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, bears the hallmarks of an ongoing genocide, signaling a dramatic deterioration of both the humanitarian and security situation in the region.
At the center of the accusations are the Rapid Support Forces, a powerful paramilitary group engaged in open conflict with the Sudanese national army led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, while the RSF are widely associated with the influence of Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo. What began as a struggle for power has evolved into a full-scale war with devastating consequences for civilians, particularly in the Darfur region.
International investigators describe a systematic campaign targeting specific ethnic groups, especially non-Arab communities such as the Zaghawa, Massalit, and Fur. According to their findings, the violence is not the result of isolated clashes but part of an organized strategy aimed at the destruction of these populations. Thousands of civilians are believed to have been killed, often during coordinated attacks on residential neighborhoods and displacement camps.
The prolonged siege of El Fasher, which lasted more than a year, has significantly worsened conditions. Civilians have been deprived of access to water, food, and medical care, in what experts describe as deliberate tactics designed to collapse living conditions. In addition, there are widespread reports of large-scale sexual violence, summary executions, enforced disappearances, and systematic looting.
Under international law, several elements of genocide appear to be met, including the killing of members of a group, causing serious bodily or mental harm, and deliberately inflicting conditions of life intended to bring about their physical destruction. Experts also point to hate speech and incitement to ethnic violence as reinforcing the intentional nature of these crimes.
El Fasher has become a symbol of Sudan’s current crisis. As one of the last major strongholds not fully under RSF control in Darfur, it hosts hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians, making any large-scale offensive particularly deadly. Its potential fall could trigger an even greater humanitarian catastrophe.
Internationally, these findings are increasing pressure for stronger action. However, divisions within the global community continue to hinder decisive measures, particularly regarding the formal recognition of genocide, which carries specific legal obligations for intervention and civilian protection.
This crisis echoes the mass atrocities of Darfur in the 2000s, which also led to genocide accusations and international judicial action. Today, Sudan is once again descending into large-scale violence, with millions displaced, famine spreading, and state institutions collapsing, making this one of the most severe humanitarian crises in the world.
