But let me be clear: Peacekeeping operations should only be deployed when a peace agreement or at least a robust ceasefire is in place. We cannot keep peace when there is no peace to keep.
Archiv: 13-06-2024 UN Security Council Resolution 2736 (2024) demands Rapid Support Forces halt the siege of El Fasher (Sudan)
Statement of ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan to the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Darfur, pursuant to Resolution 1593 (2005)
(On 15 July 2026, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan addressed the United Nations Security Council on the Situation in Darfur, Sudan, virtually from The Hague. Below is a transcript of her remarks.)
Mr President, thank you for the opportunity to brief the Security Council today.
Please allow me to also express my thanks to his Excellency the Permanent Representative of Sudan to the United Nations for his attendance. Mr. President, Excellencies, last week I was in Eastern Chad, hearing directly from just a small fraction of the Darfuris affected by the harrowing cycles of suffering that continue to be inflicted upon them.
In refugee camps in Goz Beida and in Farchana, I sat with Darfuri women, men and children to hear their experiences, and to address how the process of justice can help stem the ongoing violations suffered by their communities. Those I met with included displaced Darfuris from the camps of Adre, Arkoum, Aboutengue, Metche, Alacha, Kerfi, Goz Amir, and Zabout, who travelled, despite their own difficult circumstances, to meet with me and my team.
These conversations were deeply impactful, and I must admit, difficult. The victims I spoke with continue to bear the consequences of being driven from their homes. Living in conditions of acute hardship, they struggle each day to provide food, water and education for their children, while longing to return in safety and dignity to their homeland.
There is real despair in those camps. A clearly and repeatedly-stated belief that they have been forgotten by much of the world. That their lives are not given equal value, that the depth of their suffering has not been met with a meaningful response.
And the specific, individual experiences of pain they shared with us reflected the collective agony of the people of Darfur, including:
– Those who saw their parents die, who saw their mothers raped in front of their very eyes;
– People who were sacrificed as if they were livestock;
– Men huddled into prisons and burnt or buried alive;
– Women who spoke of being raped repeatedly and;
– Children directly attacked, raped, and traumatized by what they have seen.
(………………)
I call on all States in this Council, all members of the United Nations, and all partners for accountability, to heed the voices of the victims that I have shared with you today, and to join us at this crucial moment for the people of Darfur.
CITY UNDER SIEGE, CHILDREN UNDER FIRE: RAPID SUPPORT FORCESâ CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY IN NORTH DARFUR
During nearly three years of brutal conflict, civilians in North Darfur have been unlawfully detained, tortured and killed on a massive scale. Women and girls have been raped and forced into sexual slavery. Children have not just been the collateral damage of this violence: very often, they are deliberate targets.
This report documents the Rapid Support Forcesâ (RSFâs) slow and violent takeover of North Darfur and its capital, El Fasher, after it began fighting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) in April 2023. The abuses, which amount to crimes against humanity under international law, displaced hundreds of thousands of children, exposing them to death and injury during attacks or while fleeing. Countless children have been orphaned.
Sudanâs current crisis erupted against the backdrop of decades of armed conflict. When major violence escalated in April 2023 between the SAF and the RSF (a former government force), fighting was first concentrated in the capital, Khartoum. But it soon spread to other parts of the country, including Darfur, a region on the western border with Chad that has been wracked by cycles of conflict since the early 2000s. By November 2023, the RSF controlled four of the five state capitals in Darfur.
El Fasher was the lone holdout and last major stronghold in Darfur for the SAF and the allied Joint Forces (a coalition of local armed groups that draws heavily from the Zaghawa ethnic group). The area is of particular strategic importance due to its sizeable gold reserves and its position as a geographical hub linking Darfur to Libya and Chad along trans-Saharan trade routes. It became a prize the RSF seemed willing to take at any price â something made possible by the steady flow of weapons and other equipment from its foreign backers, most notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
(…)
TO THE AFRICAN UNION PEACE AND SECURITY COUNCIL
– Apply sustained political pressure on the RSF, SAF and all other parties to the conflict in Sudan to immediately agree to and implement a nationwide ceasefire accompanied by a sustainable framework for longer-term security and stability, human rights protection, justice and accountability. Regardless of progress towards a ceasefire, use all available leverage to urge all parties to immediately end attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, ensure safe and unfettered humanitarian access into North Darfur, and urgently facilitate the scaling up of humanitarian funding and response commensurate with the scale of civilian need.
– In line with the recommendation of the ACHPRâs Joint Fact-Finding Mission on the Human Rights Situation in the Republic of the Sudan, and given the ongoing risk to civilians, urgently establish and deploy a protection force to Sudan with a mandate to protect and deter attacks against civilians, prevent atrocities, create the security conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and monitor and publicly report on attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure. Ensure the protection force is adequately resourced, equipped and supported to operate effectively, including through predictable and sustainable financing.
Sudan: RSF atrocities in El Fasher âa stain on the conscience of humanityâ â new report
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing during its campaign to seize El Fasher in North Darfur state in Sudan, Amnesty International concluded in a major new report. The organization is now calling for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan, and for the urgent deployment of an international force to protect civilians.
Sudan: Hallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher – Report of the independent international fact-finding mission for the Sudan
10. International human rights law applies concurrently with international humanitarian law, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide of 1948, to which Sudan is a state Party. International criminal law also applies, and the situation in Darfur from 1 July 2002 is subject to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court pursuant to United Nations Security Council resolution 1593 ( 2005 ).
(…)
14. The Rapid Support Forcesâ military campaign was reinforced by local Arab militias and allied groups, and by mercenaries reportedly deployed through foreign security firms or networks and equipped with advanced weaponry and communications systems. Witnesses described the Rapid Support Forcesâ use of heavy artillery, drones and electronic warfare capabilities. The Rapid Support Forces appear to have benefited from logistical military support, in violation of the arms embargo under Security Council resolution 1593 (2005 ).
Sudan: Evidence in El-Fasher reveals genocidal campaign, targeting non-Arab communities, UN Fact-Finding Mission says
19 February 2026
GENEVA â The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan said in a new report today that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) carried out a coordinated campaign of destruction against non-Arab communities in and around El-Fasher, the hallmarks of which point to genocide. While the Mission documented war crimes and crimes against humanity, the evidence establishes that at least three underlying acts of genocide were committed.
These acts include killing members of a protected ethnic group; causing serious bodily and mental harm; and deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the groupâs physical destruction in whole or in part â all core elements of the crime of genocide under international law.
The report to the Human Rights Council, âHallmarks of Genocide in El-Fasher,â found that genocidal intent is the only reasonable inference that can be drawn from the RSFâs systematic pattern of ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, destruction, and public statements explicitly calling for the elimination of non-Arab communities, particularly the Zaghawa and Fur.
How a UN expert proved the RSF committed genocide in Sudan‘s el-Fasher
Mona Rishmawi, a member of the UN Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan (FFMS) and an expert on the Darfur conflict, said the mission‘s conclusion represents a âserious and urgentâ finding that should compel governments to take immediate steps to halt weapons flows to the RSF.
âThis report, and the conclusion that the threshold of genocide has been reached, has to be taken extremely seriously,â she told MEE in an interview on Sunday. âIf the same modus operandi continues, we will see more situations like el-Fasher. Stopping the flow of weapons is essential.â
Though it denies the charges, there is widespread evidence, as reported by MEE, linking the United Arab Emirates with the supply of arms and other goods to the RSF.
Aid Groups Warn Thousands at Risk in Darfur After RSF Takeover
(November 2, 2025)
Days after Sudanâs Rapid Support Forces (RSF) seized el-Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, in a violent assault that included the killing of more than 400 people at a hospital, aid groups warn that tens of thousands of civilians are at risk amid continuing violence, including some that may be trapped in el-Fasher and others harmed while fleeing.
Fears grow for thousands trapped in Sudan‘s el-Fasher
(Novemebr 2, 2025)
A total of 70,894 people have been displaced since the RSF took control, it said.
However, less than 6,000 have made it to the nearest camp in Tawila, 65 kilometers (40 miles) away, said Shashwat Saraf, Sudan director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, which runs the camp.
Almost 1,000 people arrived in the last three days, he said.
âThe numbers are still very few. We are not seeing the hundreds of thousands that we were expecting. If people are still in el-Fasher, it will be very difficult for them to survive,â he told The Associated Press by phone from Tawila.
âBlood on the sand. Blood on the handsâ: UN decries worldâs failure as Sudanâs El Fasher falls
âWhat is unfolding in El Fasher recalls the horrors Darfur was subjected to twenty years ago,â Mr. Fletcher said, referring to the atrocities of the early 2000s that shocked the world and eventually led to International Criminal Court indictments.
âBut somehow today we are seeing a very different global reaction â one of resignation,â he continued. âThis is also a crisis of apathy.â
âThe Sudan crisis is, at its core, a failure of protection, and our responsibility to uphold international law,â Mr. Fletcher said. âAtrocities are committed with unashamed expectation of impunityâŠthe world has failed an entire generation.â
Remarks at a UN Security Council Briefing on Sudan and South Sudan
(October 30, 2025)
The United States condemns in the strongest terms the horrific violence occurring in El Fasher. The situation is both tragic and appalling.
We have said this before, and we will say it again â the Rapid Support Forces and allied militias have committed genocide.
The RSF has and continues to systematically kill men and boys â even infants â and deliberately target women and children for rape and other forms of brutal sexual violence. These crimes are ethnically motivated.
RSF militias are targeting civilians as they flee, killing innocent people escaping conflict, and preventing those who remain from accessing life-saving supplies.
The United States condemns these abhorrent atrocities in no uncertain terms. Those responsible should be held accountable, including through sanctions, as noted by the Sudan Sanctions Panel of Experts in its most recent report.
(…)
Colleagues, ending wars is a priority for President Trump, and the United States remains committed to working with our partners and other stakeholders to resolve the crisis.
Together, we are focused on securing an immediate humanitarian truce, halting external support, and advancing a transition to civilian governance.
UK military equipment used by militia accused of genocide found in Sudan, UN told
(October 28, 2025)
British military equipment has been found on battlefields in Sudan, used by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group accused of genocide, according to documents seen by the UN security council.
(…)
Months after the UN security council first received material alleging that the UAE may have supplied British-made items to the RSF, new data indicates that the British government went on to approve further exports to the Gulf state for military equipment of the same type.
British engines made specifically for a type of UAE-manufactured armoured personnel carrier also appear to have been exported to the Emirates, despite evidence that the vehicles had been used in Libya and Yemen in defiance of UN arms embargos.
RSF fighters film themselves massacring Sudanese fleeing el-Fasher
(October 28, 2025)
Middle East Eye has reviewed dozens of video clips and images allegedly taken in el-Fasher since the RSF assault began.
Some were published by the RSF itself; others emerged on social media, particularly Sudanese Telegram groups.
The footage depicts chaotic and bloody scenes, captured by triumphant RSF fighters. Investigations suggest the videos are new.
The Arabic dialect spoken is Sudanese – particularly Darfuri – and the fightersâ dress is consistent with members of the RSF.
HUMAN SECURITY EMERGENCY El-Fasher has fallen to RSF. HRL finds evidence of mass killings including door-to-door clearance operations and objects consistent with reported bodies on berm entrapping El-Fasher.#KeepEyesOnSudan
(October 28, 2025)
Reported massacre at hospital in Sudanâs El Fasher leaves 460 dead
Horrific stories of mass-atrocities committed by the RSF militia continue to emerge, along with the tens of thousands of civilians who have fled the North Darfur city of El Fasher in Sudan.
Risk of large-scale atrocities in Sudanâs El Fasher grows âby the dayâ
The agency has received reports of summary executions of civilians trying to escape what was the last Sudanese military government stronghold of El Fasher â with indications of ethnic motivations for killings â and of former combatants who have put down their weapons, which is prohibited under humanitarian law.
âThe risk of further large-scale, ethnically motivated violations and atrocities in El Fasher is mounting by the day,â warned UN human rights chief Volker TĂŒrk.
âUrgent and concrete action needs to be taken to ensure the protection of civilians in El Fasher and safe passage for those trying to reach relative safety.â
BĂŒrgerkrieg im Sudan: Sorge um Hunderttausende in Al-Faschir
Das sudanesische Ărztenetzwerk teilte mit, RSF-KĂ€mpfer hĂ€tten nach ihrem Einmarsch in Al-Faschir am Sonntag Dutzende Zivilisten getötet und KrankenhĂ€user und andere Gesundheitseinrichtungen geplĂŒndert.
Das Darfur-Netzwerk fĂŒr Menschenrechte berichtete von mehr als 1.000 teilweise willkĂŒrlichen Festnahmen.
Sudanâs RSF storms el-Fasher after UAE shuts down talks on city
However, sources told Middle East Eye that the UAE, which is the RSFâs most significant patron, refused to address the situation in el-Fasher, which has been under siege for over 500 days.
Fears for civilians trapped in Sudan‘s El-Fasher as RSF advances
The Rapid Support Forces claimed to have captured the city on Sunday, the last state capital in Darfur yet to fall to the paramilitaries.
Saudi Arabia, US, UAE and Egypt underscore restoration of peace and ending suffering of people in Sudan
The meeting was convened at the invitation of the United States. The ministers have engaged in extensive consultations on the conflict in Sudan, recalling that it has provoked the worldâs worst humanitarian crisis and poses grave risks to regional peace and security.
The ministers committed to the shared set of principles with regard to ending the conflict in Sudan:
Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE, US call for 3-month truce in Sudan, followed by 9-month transitional period to end ongoing civil war
The conflicting parties of Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) militia have committed war crimes and atrocities since mid-April 2023. On September 9, 2025, the UN Human Right Council submitted a report documenting that dozens of detainees have reportedly killed due to torture and the systematic deprivation of food and medical treatment since June.
It has been estimated that the war claimed the lives of 150,000 people by June 2024. As of July 2025, 12 million people had been forced to flee their homes, including 7.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)âmore than half of whom are children, said Migration Policy Institute on July 17, 2025.
Here is the full text of the joint statement:
Sudan: Guterres calls for ceasefire in El Fasher, deplores ârelentlessâ militia attacks
Since 11 August, the UN has documented the killing of at least 125 civilians in the El Fasher area, including summary executions â although the actual number is likely to be higher.
âThe Secretary-General is alarmed at the grave risks of serious violations of international humanitarian law as well asâŻviolations and abuses of international human rights law, including ethnically motivated ones,â said Mr. Dujarric.
Meanwhile, supplies are pre-positioned near El Fasher, but the UN and partners continue to face obstacles in moving them into the city.
Some 70 trucks of humanitarian assistance are currently waiting in Nyala, South Darfur, a top official with the UN aid coordination office OCHA said on Thursday in New York.
Mr. Dujarric also noted that repeated attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets in North Darfur have occurred over recent months.
Sudan details RSF atrocities in El Fasher, slams international silence
(today)
He said 260,000 civilians remain trapped in the city, facing hunger and disease, with 130,000 children suffering from malnutrition. Al-Amin accused RSF fighters of raping 23 children and killing 1,000 others, whose bodies he said were mutilated.
The RSF has also destroyed six schools and 35 hospitals, according to Al-Amin. He called on the international community to work together to deliver humanitarian aid.
The governmentâs Humanitarian Aid Commissioner, Salwa Adam Binnia, called for the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 2736, which demanded the RSF halt the siege. She said government relief has been blocked from reaching the city.