Sudan War · War Crimes & Atrocities
UN investigators and human-rights organizations have documented ethnically targeted killings, sexual violence, pillage, attacks on civilians, and indiscriminate bombardment by parties to the Sudan war. The RSF grew out of forces associated with the Janjaweed, but legal findings about the earlier Darfur conflict and the current war must be stated precisely. In January 2025 the United States determined that RSF members and allied militias had committed genocide in Sudan; that is a national-government determination, not a UN court judgment. SAF airstrikes and shelling have also caused extensive civilian harm.
15,000+
deaths
Victims: Masalit ethnic community in El Geneina, West Darfur(A UN Panel of Experts cited estimates of 10,000–15,000 killed in El Geneina in 2023; the range is not a verified body count.)
1,000+
deaths
Victims: Civilian population of El Fasher, North Darfur(Over 1,000 killed during the siege as of mid-2025; UN describes risk of genocide; 2 million civilians trapped with limited food, water, and medical access)
Victims: Women and girls across RSF-controlled areas(Deaths from sexual violence not separately tallied; UN documents thousands of rape victims; many raped victims were subsequently killed)
6,000+
deaths
Victims: Civilians, patients, and captured fighters in El Fasher, North Darfur(OHCHR documented more than 6,000 killings during 25–27 October: at least 4,400 in the city and more than 1,600 along escape routes; the actual toll may be higher.)